


The Jedi Senator

by MissWriteress16



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Anakin is Annika, Annika attracts danger like a magnet, Annika gets a Girl Squad, Belligerent Sexual Tension, F/M, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Jedi start making changes (slowly), Lessons in Politics, Padme is Annika's cool big sis, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Who ships her and Obi-Wan hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:25:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 66,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8516623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissWriteress16/pseuds/MissWriteress16
Summary: During the Naboo Crisis someone is removed from office but it is not Chancellor Valorum: instead it is his vice-chair Mas Amedda who is blamed for preventing the Senate and the Chancellor from helping the Queen. In his place former Naboo Senator Palpatine is elected, with Queen Amidala eventually taking his place. The former Queen develops a bond with new Padawan Annika Skywalker; her master is still reeling from the near death of his master Qui-Gon Jinn but is able to train her with the man's guidance, as well as some help from the Council and Qui-Gon's former Master Dooku.Years have passed and the Jedi faces large amounts of distrust from the public and the Senate due to their disconnect. In an attempt to rebuild trust Chancellor Valorum gives the Jedi a seat in the Senate. They elect the most unlikely person for the job: eighteen-year-old Annika Skywalker.Annika is taken under the wing of Senator Amidala and is assisted by her handmaidens as she learns to navigate the world of politics where not even her Jedi skills may save her from deceit and lies. Soon she uncovers something darker than a corrupt Senate: a Sith Lord lurks in plain sight, planning to destroy the Republic from inside.





	1. An Unlikely Person

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a rewrite of A Different Path and just by the summary, the title and the first chapter you can probably tell that it's...well, it's definitely been changed. It's not just this story though, I'm also rewriting Sudden Changes as well. 
> 
> The main reason for the rewrite of this particular story is I don't want to write two pregnancy stories, plus I found myself far more intrigued by the idea of Annika becoming a kick-ass diplomat.
> 
> I won't go into too much detail, as the summary is fairly detailed in the backstory of this story, but basically, the idea is instead of Palpatine taking over the spot of the Chancellor he becomes Vice-Chair by making Mas Amedda seem ridiculously incompetent. Now, this may seem like a step down for him, but at the same time I think Palpatine can just as easily manipulate the Senate via being Vice-Chair as he can as Chancellor. He can actually do it a bit more sneakily, setting it up to look as if Valorum is the one behind the corruption and maybe even making him look like the Sith Lord. 
> 
> Also Padme becomes a Senator (because both of the previous candidates came down with "mysterious" illnesses that prevented them from taking the post) much earlier, and instead of Palpatine becoming Annika's trusted friend it's her, which is far healthier as she doesn't praise her so freely and actually offers a sensible viewpoint which caters to Annika being slightly more grounded than her canon counterpart (not that much mind you, she's still reckless and passionate).
> 
> Qui-Gon Jinn is alive, like in the original, and he and Dooku (who while still disillusioned with the Senate and the Order, was convinced by Qui-Gon to stay and even join the Council to make changes) just love making Mace's job harder. It's a benefit, though, because they've made the Council consider updating their code.
> 
> Annika's not going to have it easier: she's pretty much, at this point, the youngest Senator ever elected plus is the first Jedi Senator ever, which puts a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She's also going to have to deal with the political game, not knowing who to trust, the machinations of the Senate and the fact opinions of the Jedi have soured a lot over the years. She and the Council are going to have to work together closely, which means she isn't going to distrust them as much as she did.

“Chancellor, I’m unsure of what to say.”

Mace Windu stated, staring at the man before him in confusion. Yoda stood at his side, more relaxed than the Korun which caused the man no small amount of irritation.

Finis Valorum sighed, interlocking his fingers as he stared intently at the Jedi before him. He knew his proposal would be met by confusion, he himself held doubts, but he firmly believed this was a sound decision.

“Give us a seat in the Senate you wish to,” Yoda began, staring at the man intently. “Be represented by a Senator we would be, correct that is?”

“Yes.” Valorum replied, leaning back. Mace shook his head.

“I don’t understand why you would offer us this,” He questioned. “The Jedi are not politicians, though we advise you and the other senators, we have no political ambitions ourselves.”

“I recognize that,” Valorum agreed. “But at the same time, I realize you give much of your time to the Republic, that perhaps we ask too much of you.”

Here he paused before continuing. “With this in mind, I would like to extend the opportunity for you to have a voice. The ability to make decisions on behalf of your order, decisions that are for your benefit.”

“Not the only reason for this, your offer is,” Yoda pointed out. “Other motives you have.”

Valorum opened his mouth to deny it, but decided against it and sighed. “I’m sure you are aware of the views _certain_ people hold towards your order.”

“I believe we have run into it quite a few times.” Mace Windu agreed, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced out the window.

It was safe to say many people held contempt for their order, distrusted the Jedi completely. The Baby Ludi case had not helped matters and it was still present in many people’s minds.

“I believe one of the main reasons would be your secretiveness,” Valorum held up his hand. “I know you have your reasons, but the fact is the people have little knowledge of how your Order works and therefore they distrust you.”

“So our Senator…” Mace trailed off.

“Would not only represent your Order but also be a point of contact with the people: someone who helped those outside it understand it better.”

Yoda and Mace glanced at each other, silently communicating with each other. Finally, Yoda turns to face the man patiently waiting for their answer. “Agree to this we do, but choose our Senator we will.”

“I would have it no other way.” The two Jedi Masters bowed in respect before exiting. Valorum released a sigh of relief as he leaned back.

He knew many Senators would not be pleased with his decision, Palpatine had especially been vocal about his opinions. They believed the Jedi should not be involved with Senate matters, that they should be separate.

How unfortunate those opinions were, for it blinded them to the truth of what was going on in the Republic: there was something foreboding, something dark creeping closer and the Jedi were probably the only ones capable of dealing with it.

Valorum had no real evidence of this, of course, no concrete proof to present to the Senate and the Jedi Council. But he felt like he was in danger, that someone close to him was slowly corrupting the democracy he fought so hard for.

Thus his decision to give the Jedi a seat on the Senate, so not only could the people who fought to keep peace could do so directly but could also, maybe, rebuild the trust of the people and stop whatever was corrupting the Senate.

He hoped it would work because otherwise, he knew the Republic would fall.

And something much darker would rise in its place.

* * *

“So basically we now have a seat in the Senate, because the Chancellor wants us to help rebuild trust with the people, is that right?”

Kit Fisto stated, glancing at Mace and Yoda. Mace sighed.

“The Chancellor _did_ say he also wanted us to have the ability to make decisions to benefit our order, but generally yes that’s the main idea.”

“Are things really that bad?” Depa Billaba questioned. A snort could be heard, causing her to turn her head.

“Did you forget the aftermath of the whole Baby Ludi debacle?” Dooku sat, one ankle crossed over his leg as he sat back in his chair. “The protests, the way the media destroyed our reputation?”

“I thought you would be opposed to this Master,” Qui-Gon commented, a humorous smirk on his face. “After all, weren’t you the one who stated we should be separate from the Senate?”

Dooku glared at his former padawan, causing Mace to sigh heavily. He _knew_ putting both Dooku and Qui-Gon on the council would be the death of him but even he couldn’t deny their tendencies to argue against the Council was leading to them considering changes that should have been made a long time ago.

“I still do hold that belief,” Dooku began, turning to face the rest of the Council. “But at the same time I recognise, if we were to pull away now when tensions are so high, we’d only damage our reputation more.”

“Agreed we are, who to elect the question is,” Yoda stated. A few names were tossed out, including some of the gathered Council members who immediately refused the position, which eventually devolved into some _polite_ bickering.

“What about Annika Skywalker?” The question had the effect of silencing the Council, who turned to stare at Qui-Gon sitting innocently in his chair.

“Skywalker is still a padawan.” Ki-Adi Mundi protested. Qui-Gon tilted his head in agreement while Dooku (and Yoda) looked thoughtful.

“Maybe so, but she’s probably the best Jedi for the job.” Protests arose immediately with that statement.

“—she’s too young—“

“—there are other more experienced Jedi suitable—“

“—wasn’t even raised in the crèche—“

“Exactly why she’s perfect for the role,” Dooku cut in, causing the voices to die down again. He looked over at Mace Windu. “You made the argument she wasn’t raised in the crèche correct?”

“Yes, because she wasn’t—“He was cut off again, this time by Qui-Gon.

“Our Senator is supposed to help rebuild trust in the Order, connect with the people correct?” At Mace’s nod, he continued. “Annika wasn’t raised in the crèche, meaning she wasn’t—as certain people like to put it— _indoctrinated_ into the ways of the Order from a young age.”

“With that in mind, surely she’d have an easier time connecting with people than an experienced Jedi raised in the Order from birth?”

The Council’s chambers went quiet as the members contemplated his words. Dooku broke the silence again. “Plus, I understand she’s on good terms with Senator Amidala?”

Here he glanced at Qui-Gon who nodded. The former Queen of Naboo had taken the position as Senator when the scandal that forced Mas Ammeda to resign from the position of Vice-Chair happened, a role then taken by Naboo Senator Palpatine.

Obi-Wan and his new padawan had been invited to attend a gala to celebrate her election and from the way Obi-Wan described it, Padmé and Annika had become fast friends.

“Then at the very least Annika will have one ally to help her navigate the political waters of the Senate.”

“So have we come to an agreement?” Mace asked. “Will Annika Skywalker be our Senator, our contact to the outside world?”

A few moments of silence occurred before a chorus of agreements echoed around the chambers. Yoda tapped his stick.

“Ask her we will, force her we will not,” He began, staring intently. “A difficult role this will be, challenges she will face.”

“A new path, young Skywalker will have to take if she accepts.”

* * *

“You are getting too slow my Master.” Annika Skywalker taunted, a wide grin on her face as she moved to swing her lightsaber. Obi-Wan Kenobi deflected, huffing in annoyance though his eyes betrayed his amusement.

“Is that another crack at my age my dear Padawan?” He questioned, smirking at her. She shook her head, braid swinging with the movement.

It was hard to believe this was the same nine-year-old girl he and his master had picked up on Tatooine all those years ago. She seemed so different, in ways he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“Ha!” He blinked as he suddenly went from standing to lying on his back, his padawan’s lightsaber pointed at his throat. “You should pay attention Master.”

Annika beamed at him, her blue eyes sparkling with laughter. He laughed as she helped him to his feet after deactivating her lightsaber.

“Master Kenobi? Padawan Skywalker?” The two turned to where a Twi’lek girl stood in the doorway, her padawan braid on display. “The Council has requested your presence.”

The two looked at each other, confused. “Thank you Padawan,” Obi-Wan responded, the girl nodding and bowing respectfully before leaving.

He moved to retrieve his lightsaber from where it had gone flying. “I wonder what you have done to warrant such a meeting.”

Annika looked offended as the two exited the training room and began making their way to the chambers. “Me? How do you know it is not _you_ who has done something?”

Obi-Wan glanced at her. “Because I have not gone on any missions with you recently.”

“Really Master?” Annika smirked. “From what Masters Dooku and Qui-Gon tell me, you had a habit of getting into trouble as well.”

He turned bright red, muttering something about ‘meddling masters and grandmasters’. She laughed softly, though she quickly went quiet when they stopped in front of the council chambers.

She couldn’t help the fear and nervousness welling up in her chest. She _hadn’t_ done anything, right? She couldn’t recall doing anything that would warrant her a meeting with the Council, unless they had found out about her tinkering with some of the Temple droids and—

_Annika._ She stopped, turning to see her master smiling at her reassuringly. _It will be fine._

She felt him squeeze her hand softly, causing her to return his smile, before quickly removing it when the doors opened. Taking a deep breath she entered with her master at her side, politely bowing.

A quick scan of the room allowed her to take note of the Council members, to see if there was anyone she did not recognise. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw Qui-Gon and Dooku, who shot her an encouraging look.

“Master Kenobi, Padawan Skywalker I hope you are doing well,” Mace spoke, causing her to turn her attention back to him.

“Yes, and you Master Windu?” Obi-Wan asked politely.

“I am also doing well.” Here he took a deep breath, his expression becoming serious. “Master Yoda and I recently got back from a meeting with Chancellor Valorum.”

Annika frowned, as did Obi-Wan. “Are we being sent out on a mission?”

“In a way yes but,” Mace paused, his gaze turning to Annika who blinked in confusion. “This mission is for your Padawan only.”

Annika shared a confused look with Obi-Wan. “For me, Master Windu?”

“Indeed Young Skywalker,” Yoda was the one to speak, causing her to turn her attention to him. “Offered a seat in the senate the Jedi have been, to rebuild trust.”

“But why…” She trailed off, her eyes widening. “You…You want _me_ to be a Senator?” She questioned, glancing over at Obi-Wan who shared her shock.

“Correct you are.” Annika shook her head rapidly.

“B-But I’m not a diplomat, far from it.” She protested. Mace inclined his head.

“Perhaps not, but I understand you are on good terms with Senator Amidala?” Annika nodded weakly.

“Yes but—“Mace cut her off. “Plus it is the fact you are not a traditional Jedi that makes you perfect for the role.”

“I’m sorry?” Annika asked, unsure if she had been complimented or insulted. From the look on her master’s face, he couldn’t tell either.

“We need a Senator who can not only speak up for the needs of our Order but someone who can connect with the people and show them we can be trusted.” Here he huffed, a small smile seeming to be fighting to appear.

“You are reckless,” Here she bristled, though she calmed down slightly when she felt Obi-Wan sending her calming waves through the Force. “You speak with your heart rather than think it through, you have no problem sharing your opinions even if they aren’t wanted.”

“And perhaps most important,” The Korun master looked at her with something she would almost categorise as… _affectionate_. “You were not raised traditionally, you have relationships which makes you capable of connecting with people in a way no other Jedi can.”

Annika went quiet, staring at her feet as her mind whirled. Her, a Senator? Attending political meetings, speaking with other Senators and the Chancellor? That wasn’t exactly something she had planned on when she joined the Order.

She had been training to be a Jedi, to go out and save people. Did she really want to give it up to play politics?

“You will not be giving up your role as a Jedi Annika,” She glanced up quickly, staring bewildered at Qui-Gon who was looking at her sympathetically. “The training you gained, you will always have it, this will simply be you fulfilling your role in a different way.”

“Correct Master Jinn is,” Yoda agreed, leaning forward on his stick to stare at her. “A difficult burden we ask you to take on this is. Understand we will, should you refuse.”

Annika couldn’t help but look at her master who had been silent throughout the whole conversation. _Master._

_This is…a unique opportunity for you, one you likely will never get again,_ She could hear him sigh in her mind. _I am nothing but confident in your ability to do this Annika._

_You really think so?_ She cursed herself for sounding so shy and unsure, but she felt better when she saw him smile. _Absolutely_.

She took a deep breath, her shoulders and back straightening as she faced the Council once again. “I accept this position.”

“Very well,” Mace replied. He gestured at Obi-Wan. “This generally isn’t how we would do this, but then this isn’t really a traditional Knighting ceremony.”

Her breath caught as the realization hit her, turning she saw Obi-Wan smiling softly at her. She swallowed heavily as she kneeled before her Master. She heard him ignite his lightsaber.

“Annika Skywalker, by the right of the council,” She thought she heard him take a deep breath, something lightly brushing her right shoulder. “By the will of the force, I dub you Jedi.” A touch of her left shoulder.

She heard a faint _bzz_ and out of the corner of her eye saw a familiar strand fall to the ground. “Knight of the Republic…Senator of the Jedi.”

She stood and beamed up at her now former Master, who returned with a grin of his own. She turned and bent down to pick up her braid.

She stared at it, not believing this was happening: she was no longer a Padawan, yet she was something different from a Jedi Knight at the same time.

“Inform the Chancellor we must,” Yoda’s voice cut into her thoughts, causing her to look up. “Go to your rooms you should, rest awaits you tomorrow a new day.”

She bowed to the Council and followed Obi-Wan out, the doors shutting behind her. The two walked in silence, ignoring the other Jedi passing by.

“That was…” She began, stopping and turning to face Obi-Wan. “I didn’t…expect that.”

“I think it’s safe to say none of us did,” Obi-Wan retorted dryly. “I knew people weren’t exactly fond of us but to know how bad it’s gotten…”

“What if I make it worse?” She asked, causing him to blink at her. “What if I somehow manage to make people hate us _even_ more? What if they come after us with blasters and—“She rambled, causing him to chuckle softly, he reached out and gripped her shoulder lightly.

“Calm down my dear,” He stared at her with a warm expression. “That won’t happen, you may not be the most _conventional_ Jedi but for this role? You are, as Master Windu said, _exactly_ what we need.”

She took a deep breath, smiling up at him. “Thank you, Master.” She saw him frown, his brow furrowing. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s just…” He stared at her, a sorrowful expression in his eyes. “You’re no longer my Padawan.”

“Oh.” It was the only thing she could say. “Well then,” She began, giving him a small smile that made him shoot her a confused look. “I guess you’ll just have to get used to calling me, Annika.”

“I suppose,” He remarked nonchalantly, though his mouth twitched. “It also means you’ll have to start calling me Obi-Wan.”

She laughed softly, nodding her head. They went quiet, staring at each other. Obi-Wan broke it, stepping forward to cup her cheek gently.

“I know you can do this Annika,” He said softly. “There is no doubt in my mind that you can.” He softly kissed her forehead, causing her breath to catch before he pulled back.

“I’m going to go meditate for a while, head back to our quarters and rest.” He said, turning to walk away. The sounds of his footsteps echoed until they were too far away to hear, leaving Annika standing there with a blush.

She shook her head, trying to erase the thoughts that were going through her mind. What Obi-Wan did was nothing more than an affectionate gesture between former Master and Padawan, it didn’t mean anything.

_And yet, your face is redder than the lava on Mustafar_. She ignored her brain, turning around to head towards her and Obi-Wan’s shared quarters.

Considering her entire life was going to change tomorrow, she really needed a good night’s sleep.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the Obikin ball starts rolling (though it's not going to hit for a while...maybe). Also Dooku and Qui-Gon enjoy tormenting Mace. and Yoda enjoys watching them torment him. Poor Mace...


	2. The Chancellor, Worries and the Handmaidens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika meets with the Chancellor, becomes slightly uneasy by Vice-Chair Palpatine and meets her new handmaidens.
> 
> Also Obi-Wan worries. A lot.

“Senator Skywalker, on behalf of the Republic allow me to congratulate you on your new position.”

Annika smiled gently at the Chancellor, it felt weird to be addressed as Senator when she had spent most of her life preparing to be _Knight_ Skywalker. “Thank you, Chancellor Valorum.”

He waved his hand absently. “Now, have you been filled on the exact duties of your position?” He questioned, suddenly turning serious.

She swallowed heavily, nodding. “I’m to act as the point of contact between not only the Jedi Order and the Senate, but also with the people of the Republic.” There was a bit more to it, but that was the general idea: she was meant to be a representative of the Jedi.

“Correct, now,” He began, lacing his fingers together as he leaned forward. “I understand that you were taught political strategy and galactic law?”

She nodded. “Yes, it was one of the main requirements.” She didn’t add that because she came so late she had to do a _lot_ of catching up, especially since she had also been immediately chosen as a Padawan.

“Good, that will serve you well,” He stated, giving her an encouraging smile. “Given the unique situation, you will temporarily stay with Senator Amidala.”

Annika blinked, causing Chancellor Valorum to smile softly at her. “We are in the process of preparing you an apartment, as well as an office, but it will take a while so it is best if you stay with a friend.”

The blonde Jedi opened her mouth, but no words came out. She was stunned that she would be given an apartment, her _own_ apartment.

Given that she had been living with Obi-Wan for the past nine years it was something she was having a bit of trouble wrapping her head around.

She was brought out of her thoughts by Valorum standing up. “I believe this old man has kept enough of your time, Senator Amidala is waiting and she isn’t the type of woman who likes to be kept waiting.”

Annika couldn’t help but laugh. “No, she really isn’t.” Valorum smiled warmly, holding out his arm as he escorted her to the door.

The doors suddenly flew open, causing her to jump back as a vaguely familiar man entered. “Chancellor we really must begin discussing these bills—“

The man stopped, pausing when he saw Annika staring at him wide-eyed. Valorum coughed. “Forgive me; Palpatine this is the Jedi Senator Annika Skywalker, Annika this is my vice-chair Palpatine.”

He looked at her. “I believe you two have briefly met?” Annika nodded, holding out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you again Palpatine.”

He took her hand with a firm grip. “It is a pleasure to see you, dear Annika, I have heard that you are an exceptionally gifted Jedi, one of the best.”

Annika smiled weakly, feeling unease with his words. She remembered something Padmé had said at one of the galas when one of the Senators had been praising her a lot and she had looked uncomfortable.

Annika, having just turned ten, had asked her why she wasn’t happy with the praise. Her response had been that sometimes people will praise you unnecessarily, creating empty flattery in an attempt to manipulate someone.

_“When someone praises you, Annika, they should do it because you’ve earned it.”_

The lesson had stuck with her and she took it to heart having realised that while yes, her master and the Council may not praise her a lot, but when they did it was because they truly meant it.

The way Palpatine had said it, however, made her feel like he was trying to make a point of some kind.

“Your words are very kind Palpatine,” She replied. “But there are many more gifted Jedi than I.”

An odd expression crossed his face, but it vanished before she could properly identify it. She bowed politely to him before exiting the office.

She briefly heard him resume speaking to Chancellor Valorum, mentioning something about “bills that needed to be reviewed and press releases he had to read”.

She sighed, realising that was about to become her life. She ended up grinning, though, as she thought more about her new position and found herself looking forward to it somewhat.

No one could say Annika Skywalker didn’t like a good challenge.

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi huffed, sweat rolling down his forehead as he went through his katas. He had been doing this since morning, or more specifically since Annika had left for her meeting with the Chancellor.

“You know, you’re not the only Master to miss your Padawan,”

Obi-Wan paused, turning to see Siri Tachi leaning against the entryway to the training sale. He turned off his lightsaber, walking over to grab a towel to wipe his forehead.

Siri was one of his oldest friends, the two of them even briefly having a more romantic relationship until it ended when the two agreed their duty to the Order was more important.

Needless to say, she knew him _far_ too well.

“Most Masters don’t have to worry about their Padawans being thrown to a pack of political sungwas,” He remarked bitterly as he looked at the blonde Jedi master.

When he had reassured Annika that she could do this role, he had meant it—at the time. After a restless night’s sleep, however, he couldn’t but become incredibly worried for his Padawan.

Annika was still young, and while she had attended many galas where she had conversed with Senators, he had always accompanied her.

Now she would be facing them on her own.

“Obi-Wan,” Siri began, trying to reassure him. “She’ll have Senator Amidala—“

“—who also has an agenda.” Obi-Wan pointed out, staring intently at his hands. “That’s the thing with politicians, all of them have their own motivations and would see no problem in manipulating her to meet their own needs.”

Siri smiled softly. “You forget something about your padawan.” He brought his head up, his eyes conveying his confusion.

“She is stubborn and butts heads with the Council often, she is passionate and doesn’t hesitate to fight for what she believes is right,” She paused, upon seeing Obi-Wan listening to her. “She is not someone who will bend to someone else’s will easily, she did that once before as a child and hated it.”

Obi-Wan sometimes forgot that Annika was once a slave, so many years having passed since that stage of her life. When she first came, the memories of such a life still lingered in her actions.

He quickly learned that the methods of teaching his master had used with him wouldn’t necessarily work with Annika, given their radically different early lives.

Qui-Gon himself had pointed out that he shouldn’t ask Annika to call him ‘master’, a term which would hold negative connations for a former slave. He later brought this point up with the Council, with Dooku backing him, and it was agreed that unless Annika felt comfortable with addressing them as ‘master’ they would be ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’.

Obi-Wan suspected it was Shmi who had brought this point to Qui-Gon’s attentions, as the two had a rather close bond since the older Jedi went back to Tatooine to free her with some support from a certain queen and count—and the less he dwelled on the nature of their relationship the better.

It wasn’t that much of an issue since Qui-Gon was no longer an active Jedi—the wounds sustained in the duel with Maul made it unlikely, if not impossible that he would ever properly wield a lightsaber again—plus Shmi might actually be able to keep Qui-Gon somewhat sane.

That being said, he _really_ didn’t want to think about his former master’s love life.

“I suppose you’re right,” He heard himself saying. He really hated that smirk on Siri’s face. “If anything, I should be worrying about how the senators will deal with her.”

“Yes,” Siri agreed. “It is safe to say they’ve never been faced with someone like Skywalker before; I give Senator Amidala credit, for she is quite a fierce woman, but she is still a diplomat at heart.”

Obi-Wan chuckled. “Yes, Annika will certainly give them a run for their money.” He tilted his head at her.

“Perhaps you would be interested in sparring with me?” At Siri’s blank look he elaborated. “To keep me from ‘brooding’ as you and Garen like to call it.”

Siri laughed, grinning sharply as she moved into position, her lightsaber igniting. “I suppose I can spare you a few _precious_ minutes of my time.”

Obi-Wan harrumphed. “Yes, poor Master Tachi with so many things to do.” He ignited his lightsaber and the two began to duel.

“You’re still bitter about the whole Saunthea incident aren’t you?”

_“You left me hanging upside down in a tree!”_

Her laugh bounced off the walls and flooded into the hallways, startling some passing Padawans who looked at each other as if questioning the sanity of the two Jedi Masters.

Then again, considering one of them had Qui-Gon Jinn as his former master and Annika Skywalker as his former padawan, maybe their sanity _should_ be questioned.

* * *

_“Annika!”_

Annika let out a strangled yelp as she was pulled into a tight hug, unused to the action. Not that her mother never hugged her, but it was soft and gentle.

Not a powerful force inflicted by one Padmé Amidala.

The brunette Senator pulled back, blushing a light pink. “Forgive me, but I was so pleased when I heard the news that you had been chosen to be the Senator for the Jedi.”

Annika smiled weakly. “Believe me, I was shocked to be offered the position.”

Padmé smiled softly, moving to grab the girl’s hand and squeeze. “The Council would not have offered it if they thought you were not right for the position.”

Annika exhaled softly, her smile becoming brighter. “I suppose you are right.” Padmé beamed.

“Now,” She began, tugging on her friend’s hand and dragging her. Annika was too amused to put much of a fight, even though she could easily remove herself.

“There are some people I would like you to meet.” The Naboo senator declared as she led the Jedi into her living room. Annika followed, only to freeze when twelve pairs of eyes looked up.

She swallowed when the owners of those eyes stood, turning to greet her. She recognised them instantly, after all, everyone knew of the Naboo handmaidens.

Girls who were usually chosen for their resemblance to the Queen, skilled in not only the ability to assist the Queen as handmaidens do, but also act as her decoys and if push came to shove, fight and die for her.

They were skilled in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship. Needless to say, she was _slightly_ intimidated to be faced with them. Slightly, because she was a Jedi and had faced many intimidating figures before.

“You, of course, remember Sabé,” Padmé said, gesturing to the brunette woman who smiled warmly at Annika who returned, happy to see a somewhat familiar face. “Then there is Dormé, Ellé, Moteé, Miré and Fé.”

She introduced, gesturing at each woman who answered with a slight bow and a warm smile. Annika gave them a small wave.

“This is Eirtaé,” She gestured at a blonde woman, who looked slightly out of place in a sea of brown hair. Annika mused she must have _some_ skill essential to Padmé, to be chosen when she didn’t resemble her. “Followed by Saché, Yané, Rabé, Hollé and Umé.”

She turned to face Annika, hands folded in front of her as she smiled gently. “As of today, they will be _your_ handmaidens.”

Annika blinked, mouth open in shock as she looked from Padmé to the six women then back. “I-surely there’s a mistake?” She asked.

“No, there is no mistake Milady,” Yané chirped happily, a wide smile on her face. The smile turned to a frown when she saw Annika’s expression, her expression showing her uncertainty. “Or, would you like different handmaidens?”

Annika shook her head rapidly, waving her hands. “No, that’s not it, I’m sure you’re all _wonderful_ at your jobs,” She reassured them. “It’s just I’m not sure how to deal with…this…” She finished weakly, her hands making a wide circle in front of her.

“I suppose this idea is rather odd for you,” Dormé mused. “But truthfully, it is something that will benefit you.”

Sabé nodded in agreement. “While I have no doubt you have some experience in politics as a Jedi, it is very different from what you’re about to experience.”

Annika, suddenly feeling rather light-headed, moved to take a seat. “How different are we talking here?” She asked weakly.

Saché cleared her throat. “Well, for one thing, you’re making headlines.” Annika gaped.

“I-I am?” She stammered. Rabé nodded. “You’re the youngest senator since Senator Mothma, plus you’re the first Jedi Senator _ever_ , which is already enough to make people take interest in you.”

“Great.” She stated, her voice shaking. Saché put in her own thoughts, a grin on her face.

“You’re not exactly hard on the eyes either, which has gotten quite a few male senators looking at you closely and even some female—“

“Saché,” Eirtaé scolded, shooting her a dark glare. Saché shrugged. “What, you know I’m telling the truth!” She pointed out.

“Be that as it may,” The blonde responded dryly. “That is hardly the main point here.” Saché rolled her eyes before taking a seat. She looked at Annika and mouthed the word “buzzkill” at her which had the blonde Jedi covering her laugh up with a cough.

“I believe the point we’re trying to make milady,” Hollé began, shooting an amused look at her friends. “Is that you are representing a specific organization that has always been rather secretive and closed off. Now there is an actual representative of that organization who will be communicating with the public.”

“So what you’re saying is there are senators who would like to…get to know me, is that right?” Annika questioned, still confused. Padmé sighed, a soft smile appearing on her face.

“I’m afraid they would like to do a bit more than get to know you,” The brunette senator paused. “They want to see how you can help them, how they can influence the Jedi through you.”

“They want to use me.” She stated flatly. Padmé nodded, eying the sudden tension in her friend’s body.

This girl knew what it meant to be used as a tool, which was what her life as a slave basically was. Sure, by all appearances Watto was probably nicer than most masters, but he had still owned her and her mother.

“I don’t want to see you be used Annie,” Padmé assured her, her brown eyes warm as she used the familiar nickname. “Which is where your handmaidens come in.”

“They have loyally served me as my bodyguards and my confidantes, now I hope they serve you well.”

Eirtaé began to speak. “In addition, my resemblance to you will allow me to act as a decoy should the need arise, while Hollé and Umé can also fulfill the role if necessary via a wig or a simple change of hair color.”

Annika was already shaking her head. “No, I cannot allow someone to risk their life for me; I am a Jedi meant to protect others, I’m not supposed to be the one needing protection.”

“You still are a Jedi,” Rabé reassured her. “But you are also a Senator, the first Jedi Senator, and are needed to ensure tensions between the people and the Jedi are resolved. You must think of your duty.”

Annika bit her lip, looking over her shoulder at the beautiful sunset. She had been taught about duty and responsibility, how she was meant to assist the galaxy.

Now she was assisting in a different way, helping to restore the ties that had been broken between her order and the common people. That was her duty, to preserve peace, and how could she do that if she was dead?

“Very well,” She finally said, turning to face the women with a small smile. “I am honored to be working with such incredible women.”

Saché grinned. “It is an honor for us as well M'lady.” Annika chuckled nervously. “Okay first things first, I realize you might have to address me as M'lady in public but in private please call me Annika?”

Her new handmaidens turned to each other before returning their gazes to her. “Very well mi—Annika.” Eirtaé corrected herself.

Padmé clapped her hands. “Good, now that this is all out of the way I believe you should get some sleep, Annika,” She smiled softly as she stood. “Tomorrow is your first official day as Jedi Senator, and I do believe you will need the rest.”

Annika returned the smile. “Yes, I suppose I will.”

She didn’t immediately head to bed, however, instead, she stayed up getting to know her new handmaidens, the women who would be willing to die for her.

She learned that Eirtaé came from a wealthy family and had actually run against Padmé for Queen,  Saché seemed to enjoy irritating the blonde handmaiden when they were in private, Rabé was quite skilled with hairstyling and that Yané was studying to become a doctor.

She also learned Hollé loved to draw while Umé felt much more at ease with mechanical systems. It was fascinating to hear these women’s stories, to see beyond their positions as handmaidens.

“So, I understand Obi-Wan Kenobi was your master?” Saché inquired, a glint in her eyes. Annika nodded, confused. “Yes, since I was nine years old, why?”

“He’s quite handsome isn’t he?” Hollé pointed out. Annika felt her cheeks turn red, eyes wide. “I don’t—he was my master!” She protested.

“Come on, he looked absolutely dashing when he and his master took on the droids,” Umé sighed. “And when they strode forward to take on that dark-cloaked figure…”

“Really Umé?” Eirtaé asked dryly. “You’ve been reading those novels that Saché likes haven’t you?”

Saché glared at her friend. “I’ll have you know, those novels happen to be absolutely romantic.” She stated, sniffing.

 “The male leads are borderline creepy, the female leads cannot function without their male counterparts and everyone else is written as bumbling idiots.” Eirtaé retorted. She ducked when a pillow came flying at her.

“Really?” Yané asked, sounded tired which implied this was apparently a daily occurrence.

Annika laughed softly, though she turned her attention to Umé. “Obi-Wan is a great Jedi, I was lucky to have him as my master,”

Her eyes went soft as she continued. “He’s as strong as Master Windu yet as wise as Master Yoda. He’s always in control of his emotions, compassionate to everyone he meets, capable of resolving conflict with his words rather than his lightsaber.”

The handmaidens shared a look. “Sounds like he’s a great man,” Hollé said softly. Annika nodded. “He is, one of the best.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught their attention. “You do realize Padmé wasn’t kidding when she said Annika had a long day tomorrow right?” Sabé pointed out, her eyebrow raised.

Saché rolled her eyes. “You’re not our mother Sabé, technically if anyone was to act as our mother it would be Dormé.”

“I heard that!” The loud exclamation was heard as Dormé peeked her head out of her bedroom to shoot Saché a glare which the girl returned with a grin.

“Please, for the love of everything sacred, go to bed,” Fé spoke up, sounding tired.

Annika tried to cover her giggle, to no avail. “I am quite tired.” She admitted, moving to head to her bedroom.

She paused, however, when she saw Padmé heading into hers. “Padmé?”

The woman turned. “Do you really think I can do this? Be a senator I mean.”

Padmé smiled. “Annika, the first time I met you I could tell you were meant to do great things, make a change.” Her expression softened. “There is no doubt in my mind that is exactly what you will do.”

Annika beamed at her. “Thank you.” She whispered, before entering her bedroom to lay down.

After all, tomorrow was when she officially became Jedi Senator Annika Skywalker. It would help to be well-rested.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is slightly boring, and I apologise, but I wanted to introduce Palpatine (and show how different his and Annika's relationship is from canon) as well as the handmaidens.
> 
> Yup, Annika gets her own Girl Squad. Corde and Verse aren't in this because, quite frankly, I already have twelve handmaidens (six each for Padme and Annika) and I'd rather not make it more crowded. Basically Annika's handmaidens will act in the same function as they did for Padme, only slightly more because Annika isn't as involved in politics as Padme has been. I'm looking forward to having them because I feel they get so little attention and am glad to have the chance to put them in the spotlight more.
> 
> Also they are the biggest Obikin shippers in the galaxy (except Padme and maybe the Jedi).
> 
> Next chapter will have Annika start politicking and also Obi-Wan finds himself caught off guard.


	3. A Gala of New Friendships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika makes her grand debut as Jedi Senator and makes some surprising connections.
> 
> Also, Annika and Obi-Wan have a bit of a moment.

Saying that Annika Skywalker was nervous would be like saying Yoda might like messing with people, an understatement of massive proportions.

The blonde Jedi, proclaimed to be the Chosen One, was left utterly intimidated by _fashion._ She was never going to live this down.

“Stop fidgeting,” Rabé scolded as she pinned another strand of hair to the blonde Jedi's head. Annika sighed heavily, her eyes not leaving her reflection.

She was about to attend a ceremony where she would officially be instated as the Jedi Senator by the Chancellor. She was fairly certain the only reason there was _even_ a ceremony was for the good publicity it would bring the Senate and the Jedi Order.

The rest of her handmaidens—and that was still so weird for her to say—were fluttering around in the background, gathering things she apparently would need for tonight.

In addition to her ceremony Chancellor Valorum had arranged for a gala to be held afterwards. Ostensibly the reason was to give Senators the chance to gather support for whatever bills they planned to propose, but it was obvious it was simply to act as the first official interaction between the Jedi’s political representative and the Senate.

As a result, her handmaidens had spent a good portion of the morning trying to figure out what she was going to wear. She silently mourned the loss of her ability to simply wear her Jedi robes.

“There,” Rabé stated as she added the last pin, stepping back to view her work. “You’re ready.”

Annika couldn’t help but stare at her reflection, unable to recognise herself as the woman looking back at her.

Her dress was made of a white shimmery material with long sleeves and a skirt that flowed to the floor. An equally shimmery cloak had been clipped around her neck.

Her hair had been curled and pulled up, with two strands framing her face.

In short, she looked like a combination of a Jedi and Senator, the white colour adding a more elegant effect.

“I don’t…” She trailed off, blinking in shock as she turned her head from side to side.

Rabé couldn’t help but smirk. “I take it I did good work then?” She inquired.

Annika swallowed heavily, a short laugh escaping her as she smiled. “You did wonderfully.”

Rabé beamed at the blonde, pleased with the praise. Eirtaé walked over from where she had been looking through the closet, standing beside Annika.

“You’ve received a message from Chancellor Valorum,” She began. “The ceremony is starting soon.”

Annika took a deep breath, feeling her heartbeat increase. She blinked when Saché moved to adjust her cloak, brushing something off her shoulder.

“There,” Saché said with a smile. “Now let’s go make an impression on those Senators.”

Annika couldn’t help but return the smile.

* * *

Obi-Wan shifted his weight from one foot, glancing around the massively packed ballroom.

It seemed like every Senator—and even a few representatives—had come out to see the new Jedi Senator, which didn’t help ease the tight feeling in his chest.

He was reminded of the rock-vultures of Utapau, who quickly swooped in on their prey—

A hand suddenly came down on his shoulder. “You need to relax,” Garen Muln, one of Obi-Wan’s crechemates, advised as he stepped up beside the man.  

Obi-Wan shot him an irritated look. “I’m beginning to think you and Siri are sharing notes.” He remarked dryly.

Garen grinned. “Of course how else am I to know that I must, what was it,” He began. “Keep you from passing out from worry?”

Obi-Wan glared. “I’m not going to _pass out_ ,” He grumbled.

Garen opened his mouth to reply but closed it when he heard a familiar voice.

“Leave him alone, he’s only concerned for his former Padawan.”

Bant Eerin scolded, joining the duo with Reeft following close behind.

Obi-Wan gave the Mon Calamari a warm smile. “Thank you for the rescue.” She returned it.

“No problem at all, I know how annoying Garen can be.” The dark-haired Jedi began protesting, only to be silenced as the Chancellor entered with a woman at his side.

“Wait a minute…” Reeft began, blinking as realisation passed over the faces of his companions. “Is that…?”

“Wow, she cleans up nicely,” Garen complimented, only to wince as he was elbowed in the side.

Obi-Wan barely listened to their conversation, his gaze remaining on his former padawan.

He knew, in an abstract way, that Annika was attractive; it wasn’t something a Master should dwell on, the attractiveness of his Padawan.

However, Quinlan Vos had brought it up teasingly, joking that he would have to keep an eye on the male Padawan population.

He brushed it off as a joke, after all, the Jedi Code forbid relationships but looking at her now maybe Vos had a point.

She was at Valorum’s side, her expression strained as she smiled for the billion cameras going off in her face.

Her eyes wandered, eventually landing on him staring at her. She raised an eyebrow, her smile becoming more relaxed.

_The Great Master Kenobi, speechless? How shocking!_

He chuckled softly, his mouth twitching. _Forgive me, it’s just…you look different._

_Different how?_ He watched as her expression became more subdued, showing her insecurity.

It was odd, he mused, how Annika could be completely confident in her skills yet in all else she was almost _humble_.

_Different as in I’ve never seen you like that before, it’s quite a good look, though you look good in your robes as well._

He replied in his mind, winking at her. He watched as her cheeks flushed a bright pink before she redirected her attention.

“What exactly did you say to her Obi-Wan?” Garen inquired, a wide grin on his face. Obi-Wan just looked at him with a straight expression.

“I simply gave my Padawan a few words of encouragement,” He replied. “Nothing else.”

Garen opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the Chancellor beginning his speech.

“Senators and Jedi, we are gathered here today for a tremendous occasion,” He announced, a warm smile on his face as he addressed the room.

“For a long time, the Jedi have loyally worked alongside the Senate, acted as our peacekeepers and been our friends.”

“His choice of words,” Obi-Wan spoke in a hushed voice, causing his companions to glance at him curiously. “They seem to be deliberate.”

Garen blinked before snorting. “Of course _you_ would pick up on that.”

Obi-Wan just shrugged, not even acknowledging the reference to his diplomatic abilities. He turned his attention back to the Chancellor as he continued his speech.

He went on about how the Jedi had assisted the Senate in their missions, acted as advisors and trusted confidants. He praised their selfless nature and unending compassion.

“Now we honor them for their dedication and work, by offering them a seat on the senate,” Valorum proclaimed, gesturing to Annika who stepped forward.

Yoda and Mace also stepped forward, showing that Annika was not just a Senator but a Jedi as well.

“Annika Skywalker,” Mace began, his voice booming across the ballroom. “Do you pledge to represent the Jedi Order faithfully?”

“I do,” She replied, her voice steady.

“Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the Republic, in addition to upholding the Jedi Code?” He added.

“I do,” She replied in the same tone.

Valorum stepped forward as Mace and Yoda stepped back. “On behalf of the Republic, I welcome you, Annika Skywalker, to the Senate.”

To the surprise of everyone, he bowed respectfully to her. Annika blinked, confused by this, but quickly fixed her face into an emotionless expression and returned the bow. Obi-Wan silently praised her quick thinking.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Valorum stated, a smile on his face as he stood with Annika at his side. “May I present your Jedi Senator, Annika Skywalker!”

A crescendo of clapping filled the room, the Jedi and the few Senators who had interacted with Annika were louder than the rest.

A sharp whistle was heard and Obi-Wan turned in time to see Qui-Gon Jinn remove his fingers from his mouth and resume his clapping innocently.

The auburn-haired Jedi sighed, shaking his head at his former master’s actions. He quickly returned his gaze to Annika, who was being helped down from the stage by Mace.

_Good luck Anna_ he thought I _know you can do this._

_May the force be with you._

* * *

Annika breathed a sigh of relief as another Senator said goodbye and moved to talk to another colleague.

She remembered the warning she had been given, but still, the fact that so many Senators wanted to speak with her took her by surprise and it was _exhausting_.

They asked her when she joined the Order (she was nine), if she knew her family (yes), who was her master (Obi-Wan) and the questions went on and on.

She realised, in that moment, just how little people knew about the Jedi. It certainly helped her stop being irritated with the constant questions, after all, most of them were just curious and she answered as best as she could.

It also helped her realise how little _she_ knew about the Order. Yes, she had taken classes, but she had sped through them on account of her padawan status leaving her little time.

She made a mental note to pay a visit to the archives and talk to Madame Nu if she was going to be explaining the Jedi Order to people she should probably know a lot about it.

She casually looked over her shoulder and made a face when she saw Senator Lott Dod a few feet away talking with some senators, though she quickly schooled her expression before he noticed.

_His_ questions hadn’t been about curiosity at all, more like he was attempting to prove the Order was some evil entity brainwashing its members.

He also, not so subtly, attempted to say that Nute Gunray didn’t represent the Trade Federation as a whole that the occupation of Naboo was his doing and Senator Dod had no role in it etc.

Needless to say, Annika had to rely heavily on the deep-breathing exercises she had been taught to reign in her temper so she didn’t do something stupid, like punch out a high-profile Senator at a very public gala on her first day as Jedi Senator.

“I’m fairly certain glaring at a Senator isn’t very diplomatic,” A dry voice remarked, causing Annika to whip her head around.

Her confused expression became a full-blown grin when she saw Darra Thel-Tannis standing behind her.

“Darra!” Annika exclaimed, quickly hugging the redhead before pulling back. “I didn’t even know you were on planet.”

“I couldn’t miss you being instated as our Senator could I?” Darra asked, smiling warmly. “Master Antana and I caught the first ship back as soon as we heard.”

Annika couldn’t help but laugh, pleased at having one of her dearest friends with her. “Are Ferus and Tru here?” She questioned, glancing around.

She and Darra, being the same age, had bonded quickly which helped when they and their masters went on missions together.

They were often joined by Ferus and Tru, who were three years and one year older respectively, and their masters and the four had become close.

“No, unfortunately, they had to settle a dispute,” Darra apologised. “I’m jealous, though, they get to go on missions by themselves and now you will too.” She joked.

Ferus had been the first of their friends' group to be knighted, followed shortly by Tru. Darra and Annika had playfully teased each other about being Padawans together forever.

“I’m sure you’ll be knighted soon Darra,” Annika reassured her friend.

“From what I’ve heard about you Padawan Thel-Tannis, I agree with Anna,” A voice spoke, startling the two women who turned to see Senator Bail Organa standing with a smile.

“Senator Organa!” Annika greeted, bowing respectfully. She flushed when he took her hand and kissed her knuckles, glaring over her shoulder at an amused Darra.

She knew Bail Organa through Padmé, the beloved Crown Prince of Alderaan who was known for his dedication to justice and kind nature.

“Please call me Bail,” He insisted. “After all we are friends, are we not?”

Annika laughed. “Of course, Bail.” Bail winked teasingly at her before turning his attention to Darra.

“I’ve heard many stories about your skills, the Council would be a fool not to knight you.” Darra blushed, thanking the Senator for the compliment.

“For all, I complain about going on missions alone, however,” Darra began. “I find myself thinking I might want to work in the crèche.” She admitted.

“You’ve always been good with the initiates,” Annika agreed. Darra snorted. “Compared to you, I might as well be invisible.” Darra joked, causing Annika to flush.

“You spend time with the younglings, Anna?” Bail inquired, looking at the woman curiously. Annika turned redder. “Yes, well because I didn’t spend any time in the crèche as an initiate the Council decided that when I wasn’t busy with classes or on missions with Master Kenobi I would help out in the crèche, to build relationships.”

“And the crèche master and instructors have been praising the Council's decision since then,” Darra added, causing Annika to laugh weakly.

“I think you underestimate me Darra,” She began, only to stop when another Senator joined the conversation. “Have you had difficulties with getting the children to sleep, being so far away from their families?”

Annika flushed, opening her mouth to say something when she realised there was no malice in the Senator’s tone, only genuine curiosity.

“It’s a bit difficult at first, especially if the child is around two years old,” She admitted. “But I usually just read to them until they eventually fall asleep, maybe offer a few soothing words.”

The Senator nodded. “Forgive me, it’s just my babysitter has been having a hard time getting my son to sleep with me and my wife being so far away…”

Eventually, other Senators joined the conversation, with the topics ranging from getting a child to eat something they don’t want to how to deal with sickness.

How ironic, that a group of Senators with varying political views managed to bond with Annika on something so simple: children.

* * *

“I see you managed to capture their attention,” Obi-Wan noted as he made his way over to Annika after many of the Senators had moved on.

The group had been chatting for _hours_ , even the Chancellor had stopped by and added some commentary.

Annika flushed. “It really wasn’t anything,” She protested, only to stop when Obi-Wan lifted her hand up to kiss her knuckles.

“You managed to make connections with the Senators simply by talking about how to change a diaper,” He pointed out wryly. “I’d say that’s pretty remarkable.”

A soft laugh escaped Annika’s lips in a huff. The sound of music filtered in her ears, and upon glancing around she saw many pairs starting to dance.

“May I have this dance?” She whipped her head around to see Obi-Wan holding his hand out to her, his eyes twinkling. Her mouth twitched up into a smile.

“You may,” She replied, placing her hand in his and allowing herself to be led out onto the dance floor.

The two faced each other and moved into position, one hand coming to rest on his shoulder while the other was clasped in his.

They began moving to the music and Annika couldn’t help but laugh, causing Obi-Wan to look at her curiously. “I’m having flashbacks to your lessons,” She revealed, causing him to sigh.

“Ah yes, I think my toes are still recovering.”

Given that attending, Senate galas were somewhat of a requirement for Jedi, and the ever-so-small-yet-still-possible chance of them being asked to dance, he took it upon himself to teach his young Padawan how to dance.

Needless to say, his feet hadn’t forgiven him.

Annika removed her hand from his shoulder to hit him with it, causing him to recoil and chuckle. “Dancing wasn’t exactly a requirement on Tatooine,” She muttered under her breath, ducking her head down.

“Annika…” She looked up to see Obi-Wan staring at her intently. “Annika, you did wonderful for your first time.” He stated.

“Really?” She asked, disbelieving. Obi-Wan nodded. “Oh yes, much better than I did when Qui-Gon taught me.”

“Qui-Gon…?” Her eyes widened as an image of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan dancing filled her head, she ended up burying her face into his shoulder to muffle her laughter.

“Yes, laugh all you want,” Obi-Wan remarked dryly, his lips twitching. “I think I nearly took him out of commission a few times.”

Annika laughed softly, her blue eyes twinkling as she lifted her head. “I’m starting to see that you weren’t always the perfect master.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, which she returned.

This is nice, she thought, just teasing Obi-Wan and acting like friends. Their relationship hadn’t been as formal as some Master and Padawan relationships were, but it had still been one of respect.

“Obi-Wan…?” She suddenly asked, causing him to look down at her curiously. “We’re no longer Master and Padawan.”

Obi-Wan let out a huff of breath. “No, we’re not.”

Annika took a deep breath. “But…we can be friends.” She saw him stare at her and she fidgeted, opening her mouth to take back what she had said—

“I would like that.” She inhaled sharply as she met his warm gaze. Her mouth turned up in a soft smile.

“Then that is what we’ll be.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) So the thing about Annika being adored by the younglings isn't something I can take credit for, I got the idea from the anakin as creche master au on Tumblr. I like the idea because in this universe Annika has her mother but at the same time recognises the fear the younglings would have being so far away from their family and would try to help them (also this is how she meets Ahsoka, who reminds her of herself). And Obi-Wan also helps out with the younglings as well, so they kind of think of them as "Mom" and "Dad" in a way. 
> 
> 2) So you may notice Bail is referred to as the Crown Prince of Alderaan. That is because, in this universe, Breha is his ever so loving and meddling elder sister. Primarily because I plan to include Bail/Padme as an eventual couple but to do it the canon way would involve me either killing off Breha or having them divorce, so I fixed it by having her being his older sister. The idea came from the Squash!Age AU where Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Anakin and a bunch of other characters are closer in age (scroll down until you see Padme Amidala). Bail and Obi-Wan will bond over the constant danger Padme and Annika will get themselves into (because both of them have strong opinions that will get people trying to kill them) and the worry it causes them.
> 
> Also, I apologise for the delay this took, but I found myself way too easily sidetracked; also I got Cities: Skylines for Christmas and have been playing that (I destroyed my first city in less than five minutes, I think that's a record). The Musketeers chapter may take a bit longer because it's probably going to be over ten pages and I'm only halfway through the end of Charlotte's third month.


	4. Waves of Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Senate really shouldn't have underestimated Annika.
> 
> Or: Annika doesn't create waves, she causes _tsunamis ___

“It took a lot less time than we expected, but I hope you like your office Senator Skywalker,” Valorum stated, watching the young woman take in the space with wide eyes.

Annika couldn’t speak as she walked around the office, looking at everything. It wasn’t as big as the Naboo Senator’s office but it was still very spacious.

Her office was very similar to the other Senatorial offices, her desk was set up in the middle of the room in front of the large windows with a seating area off to the right.

“I,” She stopped, turning to face Valorum with a bright smile on her face. “It’s wonderful, thank you.”

Valorum returned the smile. “It’s no problem, after all, you will need a place to do your work and I would have you be comfortable.”

Annika flushed, ducking her head. “I am grateful Chancellor.”

Valorum nodded, before checking the time. “Forgive me, but I have an urgent meeting which I must attend.” He bade his goodbyes once more before leaving.

Annika let out a deep breath, turning around and walking towards the desk. She ran her hand over the smooth finish of the desk as she walked around the desk before sitting down in the rather comfy office chair.

She began absently opening the drawers of her desk, pausing when she saw there was a holster made for a lightsaber under her desk.

She couldn’t help but smile when she saw it, the Chancellor really _did_ think of everything. She froze when she heard a familiar voice speaking warmly.

“Who knew my daughter would be both a Jedi and a Senator?” Her head snapped up, a smile forming on her face when she saw her mother standing in her office with Threepio.

“Mom!” She exclaimed happily, standing up and going to hug her mother. “How are you? Is the shop doing alright?”

Shmi Skywalker laughed, a warm smile on her face. “I am doing well and so is the mechanical shop; it’s busy but I have help now so it works out alright.”

“That’s good,” Annika stated. A smirk appeared on her face. “And has Master Jinn been paying you visits?”

Shmi flushed. “He has, he’s been a good friend,” She replied, shooting her daughter a warning look.

Annika let it drop. “So, what brings you here?” She inquired, tilting her head curiously.

Shmi smiled softly. “Since my shop has been doing well, I’ve been able to hire employees, good and trustworthy employees.”

“That’s good Mom,” Annika replied, sounding confused. “But it doesn’t explain why you’re here…?”

“Well, since I have employees now,” Shmi began. “I’m afraid Threepio has been, for lack of a better term, _bored_.”

“Oh,” Annika responded, blinking rapidly. Threepio cut in at this point. “Yes Mistress Annika, not that I haven’t enjoyed working for Mistress Shmi because I absolutely have, but I’ve been feeling rather useless—no offense, Mistress Shmi—“

“Yes, thank you Threepio,” Shmi cut in, sounding rather amused. “The point is, I feel that Threepio is in need of some stimulation, and given that he is a protocol droid…”

Annika immediately caught onto what her mother wanted. “Of course, I’ll be happy to have Threepio with me.” She agreed, warmly smiling at the droid.

Shmi smiled as well. “Alright then,” She hugged her daughter again. “I have to get back to the shop now, we have a lot of work to do.”

Annika nodded, watching her mother turn around and leave her office. She turned to Threepio. “I have to go to the Jedi Archives, will you be okay?”

“Of course Mistress Annika!” Threepio exclaimed, nodding his head in a slow robotic way. “I shall prepare some tea for your return.”

Annika smiled. “Thank you, Threepio.” She responded, leaving her office as Threepio began making the tea for when his creator returned from her excursion.

* * *

Annika had seen many things since she had joined the Jedi, some amusing and some downright horrifying; one particular image of her mother _giggling_ at something Qui-Gon had said while said man’s hand hadn’t exactly been _visible_ was something she would not be able to get rid of even with a complete mind wipe.

Still, nothing had quite prepared her for witnessing Jedi Master Dooku _flirting_ with Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu.

She blinked, still unsure if what she was seeing was correct. “Master Dooku?”

The two looked up from their conversation (flirting session?), both looking like a couple of Padawans who had been caught sneaking out.

It was a rather interesting look for two experienced Jedi to have.

“Thank you, Madam Nu, for helping me find the data I needed,” Dooku spoke quickly, bowing to her before quickly taking his leave.

Annika watched him go, before turning to look at Madam Nu with a raised eyebrow.

Jocasta didn’t allow her to ask the question on her mind. “Congratulations on your new position, Anna, I have no doubt you’ll do the role justice.” The elderly woman spoke, a warm smile forming on her lips.

Annika flushed. “I hope I do,” She responded, still experiencing some doubt.

Most people who met Annika—and those who knew her—would be surprised to learn the young Jedi actually didn’t mind spending time in the Jedi Archives.

True, she couldn’t see herself staying in the archives long-term, but spending short periods were wonderful for helping her find peace. The fact it held a _lot_ of knowledge about not just the Jedi Order, but the galaxy was something that drew her attention.

While she was certainly more hyperactive than the typical Jedi, she still had a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn everything she could.

However, that wasn’t what brought her here. “I understand that the Jedi who served diplomatic roles in the Senate kept records that are archived here?”

Jocasta nodded, sounding confused. “Yes, why…?” She blinked in realization. “You wish to use the records.”

Annika nodded. “I’m pretty much working from scratch and I need some kind of starting point so I figured those would be the best place to start.”

Jocasta inclined her head as she pressed a button on her desk. “I agree, these records will no doubt be a great boon to you.”

She turned as a droid zoomed up to the desk, dropping a stack of datapads on the desk before leaving after the librarian nodded at it.

Annika couldn’t help but gape at the pile. “Is that…all the records?” She asked slowly, looking up at Jocasta who looked amused.

“Yes, these are the records kept by the Jedi who have performed a mediating and advisory role to the Senate since the duty first began,” Her smirk became wider. “I have no doubt you will _thoroughly_ read through these.”

Annika sighed heavily, giving the elderly Jedi the evil eye as she picked up the datapads. “This is payback for interrupting your conversation with Master Dooku, isn’t it? I don’t _really_ need all this, do I?”

Jocasta chuckled. “No, you do,” Her mouth twitched. “I’m not denying that this is amusing for me, however…”

Annika huffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. “Of course not…” She muttered under her breath as she began signed her name and began lugging the datapads.

At least this reading would actually be _useful_ to her, that’s the only thing that made hauling these datapads worth it.

* * *

Annika really _hated_ it when she was proved wrong.

“This is ridiculous,” Eirtaé exclaimed in disgust as she tossed the datapad onto the table, releasing an angry puff of air and collapsing against the back of the sofa.

Annika looked up from where she was hunched over her datapad at her desk, her eyes showing her exhaustion. “Please don’t hurt the datapads, otherwise Madam Nu will hurt  _me_.”

“You can’t really blame her,” Saché pointed out from where she was lying upside down next to Eirtaé. “All we’ve really learned is that the Senate can’t solve any personal argument without a Jedi intervention,”

“Don’t forget the fact they seem to complain a lot _about_ the Jedi, _to_ the Jedi.” Rabé pointed out, idly stretching out her muscles.

She and Yané had decided to commandeer the floor; Rabé was sitting cross-legged while Yané was lying on her stomach. Hollé and Umé were curled up in the two big armchairs.

“I’ve found maybe _one_ instance of this Jedi negotiating something and it was crop prices,” Umé remarked, her nose curled up in disgust.

“I have hours of research this Jedi performed on behalf of a Senator and there was no reason the Senate archivists couldn’t handle it,” Hollé remarked, looking up with disbelief in her eyes. “Why didn’t they ask the Senate archive to do this?”

“Because, the Senator thought that having the Jedi do it would give him an air of importance,” Eirtaé replied knowingly. “The Jedi are well-known throughout the galaxy, so having one perform a mission on your behalf implies that you are important.”

“That’s not what the Jedi are meant to do though,” Yané finally spoke up, sounding irritated. “They’re meant to uphold justice and keep the peace, something that would _benefit_ the Republic and the galaxy as a whole, so why would the Senators try to keep them from doing that?”

 “Because,” Eirtaé began, sounding resigned. “If the Jedi were to do their proper duties the Senate would undoubtedly have to make changes faster, they could no longer stall processes and thus corruption would slowly vanish.”

“Certain members of the Senate can’t stand that idea,” Eirtaé continued. “So they push a lot of meaningless requests onto the Jedi that could be better handled by other people and in turn continue to stall the diplomatic process.”

Annika let out a heavy sigh, feeling the weight of her task.

“But, that was when the Jedi held no real power in the Senate,” Saché pointed out, a smirk on her face as she looked at Annika. “Now they do.”

Annika blinked for a moment before straightening, realization hitting her. She was the Jedi Senator, it was her job to ensure the Jedi were represented properly and were able to do their duties correctly.

And she planned to do _just_ that.

“Eirtaé,” She began, glancing at the blonde handmaiden who looked at her expectantly. “Do you mind if I run some ideas off of you?”

Eirtaé smirked, recognizing the look in Annika’s eyes as one Padmé got when she had an idea to throw off the other Senators.

“Of course Milady,” She responded. “That is what I’m here for.”

 _This should be interesting,_ Saché thought mischievously as she and the other handmaidens began offering their own input to Annika.

* * *

Obi-Wan crossed his arms over his chest, gaze fixed intently on the holoviewer. He paid no attention to the other Jedi standing near him and talking in low murmurers.

“Has the session started yet?” Garen asked as he approached, startling Obi-Wan who turned to face him.

“No, not yet,” He replied, returning his gaze back to the screen. He quickly scanned the crowd of gathered Jedi and raised an eyebrow when he saw Dooku and Qui-Gon standing together with Mace.

Galen apparently noticed too. “Master Windu, how nice to see you!” He called out cheerfully, the man turning to face him. “And with Master Dooku and Jinn as well.”

Mace crossed his arms over his chest. “Considering this is the first time the Jedi Senator will be addressing the Senate, I felt it important to watch this.” He explained dryly.

Obi-Wan nodded. “And what brings you here Master Dooku?” He questioned, looking at the man. “You’ve never been a fan of the Senate.”

Dooku harrumphed. “You are correct my grand-padawan, which is why I am looking forward to seeing my great grand-padawan take them down a few notches.”

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes, though his mouth twitched slightly in amusement. “And you wonder why you’re not allowed to go to the Senate unaccompanied.”

Dooku shot his former padawan a look, opening his mouth to reply only to be cut off by Mace. “That’s enough you two, the session is starting,” He warned, gesturing at the screen.

The two men turned, though Dooku was still glaring at Qui-Gon who ignored him. Obi-Wan shook his head, a smile on his face before he schooled his features to watch Annika address the Senate.

His padawan stood tall and proud, dressed in a simple gold dress with vine designs and a fanned out collar. Her hair was pulled back with no strands loose.

She looked like someone who belonged with the other senators, their equal.

_May the force be with you Anna_

* * *

Annika took a deep breath, preparing herself mentally before she began to speak.

“Thank you Chancellor Valorum, for your introduction,” She nodded to the man who inclined his head. “I stand here before you, Senators, so that I can properly convey to you what my duties as Jedi Senator will be.”

She paused, glancing around to see the other Senators had looks of curiosity on their faces, and she continued. “When the Jedi first took on their representative role it was with three main goals in mind: they were open to any requests for assistance with Senate negotiations that could end in war or peace no matter if the conflict was big or small and they were available to provide neutral advice that related to negotiation, galaxy customs or politics, and disaster relief.”

She watched the Senators nod their heads. “Most important of all, they were to be the first port of call—even before the Chancellor—when a planet or system believed they needed a Jedi to provide assistance or aid.”

She glanced at the Chancellor, who simply smiled and nodded at her. “I have every intention of fulfilling these duties as my predecessors have in the past.”

The Chancellor proceeded to state that she had the approval of the Senate to move forward with her efforts. She nodded, a smile forming on her face.

“I thank you for your support Senators,” She began, not showing any outward emotion as she continued. “I realise there may be a short period of adjustment but I shall do my best to guide you as I regretfully must cease all other services.”

* * *

Loud murmurs arose within the gathered Jedi, what did Annika mean by _cease all other services?_

“What is she doing?” Mace muttered, glaring at the image of Annika standing completely calm.

“Believe I do,” Yoda spoke, causing Mace to startle as he turned to see the old Grand Master slowly make his way towards him. “Creating change, young Skywalker is.” He finished, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“Have I mentioned how much I love my great grand-padawan?” Dooku whispered to Qui-Gon, an almost manic grin on his face at seeing the Senate looking absolutely stunned into silence.

* * *

The Senate was rarely seen speechless, so the fact one eighteen-year-old girl could render them as such was quite an accomplishment indeed.

“I have been assured that the Senate Human Resources department can handle any interoffice disagreements,” She explained calmly, unperturbed by the Senate’s expressions and the silence building up in the large space. “The archivists can handle any research requests, unless they relate to war or disaster, in which in case I ask that you come to me.”

“I am reluctant to give up these roles, however I feel my time, as well as the Jedi, can be better spent as the peacekeepers we are. I know that as the intelligent members of the Senate you will see how these changes will ultimately contribute to the greater good and I thank you for your approval.”

She finished with a bow before taking her seat, trying to stop herself from grinning.

The Senate had no idea what to do, none of them were willing to challenge her. Not with the other Senators around or the media droids. They were, for lack of a better term, _trapped_.

Valorum cleared his throat, blinking rapidly as he spoke. “I look forward to seeing you perform your duties, Senator Skywalker.”

He watched as the woman nodded politely, her face a mask of no emotion yet he could swear there was a twinkle in her eyes.

In hindsight, he thought amusedly, he _really_ shouldn’t have underestimated her.

* * *

The Jedi were practically vibrating with energy, the Padawans were all talking excitedly about how Annika had spoken to the Senate while the older Knights and Masters were either impressed or scandalized by her actions.

“I must admit, I greatly approve of Annika’s actions,” Adi Gallia, a member of the Jedi High Council as well as someone greatly skilled in politics, said.

Mace looked at her shocked. “How can you say that Adi,” He demanded, causing Qui-Gon to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh really Mace,” Adi replied, slightly rolling her eyes. “You’ve done enough work with the Senate to know that the original role of the Jedi Representatives was flawed at best, far from what it was originally created to be.”

“What she did was what she was supposed to, she spoke up for what the Jedi needed.” Mace opened his mouth to protest but closed it with a sigh when he realized she was correct.

“Don’t say anything,” He directed the warning to Qui-Gon, who innocently raised his hands in surrender.

Obi-Wan paid no attention to the scene, his gaze focused on his former padawan who stood so calmly despite having essentially laid down the law to the entire Senate on what the Jedi were.

“You still worried about her?” Garen asked in a low tone, his mouth turned upwards.

Obi-Wan shook his head, a smile slowly forming on his face.

“No, not at all,” He replied, because it was true. He did not worry for Annika, because she was more than capable of holding her own against the Senate.

After all, balance was what she was meant to bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I can't take credit for the idea of Jedi Representatives, I stumbled across it in The Chosen by MissLearn here on AO3. I figured Annika would use them as her base model, but also strive to improve it as it was rendered useless by various means (i.e the Senate being full of corrupted idiots -.-'). Except for Padme. and Bail. and Mothma, Mothma's cool.
> 
> 2) Dooku must always been accompanied by another Jedi if he goes to the Senate after a certain incident with Senator Dod. No limbs were lost, though Dod now keeps a safe distance between him and Dooku at any events they're both attending...
> 
> 3) Also, hints of various future Jedi romances! A cookie for every couple you manage to identify XD Also if you don't like one of the couples..uh, sorry? *shrugs*


	5. Change is Afoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months have passed since Annika's speech to the Senate and the changes that followed surprised everyone.
> 
> Also, Palpatine being Palpatine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter talks about how Annika has made change in the Senate. Not a lot happens, but it's really setting up the next chapter.

Chancellor Valorum couldn’t help but think as he wandered through the Senate hallways that maybe the Senate should have given the Jedi a seat earlier.

Two months had passed since Annika had stood before the Senate and made it clear the Jedi were not tools of the Senate and in that small timeframe she had managed to accomplish what many thought was impossible: she made _change._

There were bills being passed, conflicts being resolved and corruption was slowly trickling out. Every Senator who worked to make a difference knew _exactly_ how difficult it was and therefore couldn’t help but respect the young blonde Jedi who had turned the Senate on its head.

There were, of course, those who protested the changes and had spent the two months gathering enough support—or rather, _courage_ —and evidence to change the decision.

However, it was all for naught because when they did go to challenge the changes it had been proven that said changes were positive ones and that was it.

Valorum couldn’t help but think, however, that had it been another Jedi who had put forth the changes it wouldn’t have been as well received.

Valorum had nothing but the greatest respect for the Jedi, how could he not given what they had done for the Republic, but he also admitted to being slightly intimidated by their somewhat aloof and closed off nature.

Annika was different though, she could definitely mask her emotions if she needed to—particularly ones of irritation—but for the most part, she was easier to relate to than the average Jedi.

Valorum couldn’t claim any knowledge of the Force that the Jedi so revered, but even he couldn’t deny there was a quality about Annika that just drew people in.

She was uncommonly kind, always willing to lend assistance to those who asked for and needed it. She was very insightful and had proven adept at quickly coming up with solutions to any problems that were brought to her attention.

Valorum himself was impressed with her abilities, having asked her for advice about an issue he was having with a gang on Coruscant. She had provided advice that had helped him solve the issue quickly and effectively and had even taken his own opinions into account.

He paused when he caught sight of the subject of his thoughts walking down the hallway.

Annika wore her hair in a simple style, part of it was pulled into a braided bun on top of her head while the rest flowed in loose waves over her right shoulder and she wore a grey long sleeve dress with gold embellishments down the front on either side.

“Senator Skywalker,” He called out, causing the woman to turn her head and begin making her way over to him. “What brings you over here?”

Annika smiled warmly. “I could ask you the same question, Chancellor, shouldn’t you be in your office?” She inquired, eyes twinkling with amusement.

Valorum chuckled. “I should be, but truthfully I feared I would go insane being trapped behind my desk for too long.”

Annika nodded. “I understand perfectly, the idea of staying in one place doesn’t appeal to me much either.” She confided, causing Valorum to raise an eyebrow.

“Really?” He inquired as the two began walking together, heading towards Annika’s office. “I was under the impression Jedi were known for their patience.”

Annika ducked her head. “I thought it would be obvious that I’m not exactly the _typical_ Jedi,” She remarked dryly, her lips twitching.

Valorum laughed. “Yes, you most certainly are,” He smiled. “But that’s worked in your favor.”

He cleared his throat. “So, how has your day been?” He inquired as they continued walking.

“Interesting,” She commented, glancing up at him. “So far I’ve resolved several interplanetary disputes, which included the conflict between Galendrin and its moon, managed to negotiate peace between the Mersemians and the Dordanans and secured monetary aid for Ord Rur.”

Valorum blinked. “So it has been successful then,” He managed to say, utterly flabbergasted and wondering what exactly the Jedi were teaching at the Temple in order to produce such competency.

Annika couldn’t help but flush upon seeing his expression. “It truly wasn’t anything,” She stated, biting her lip as she turned to look in front of her.

“I also had to deal with several senators protesting the changes I made, which took up a good portion of my time,” She added, releasing a heavy sigh.

It really wasn’t fun listening to people argue with her over changes that had only been helpful, she had to remain polite despite the fact she wanted nothing more than to yell at them.

“Many people dislike progress,” Valorum stated, clasping his hands behind his back. “Particularly if it is progress that takes away their benefits.”

He smiled softly at the blonde Jedi. “Do not allow those senators to sway you, you have accomplished a lot more in two months than the Senate has done in years, never forget that.”

Annika laughed softly. “I won’t, don’t worry.”

Valorum returned the laugh. “Good,” He paused when he caught sight of a familiar figure standing outside in the hallway.

“Master Kenobi,” He greeted as the copper-haired Jedi turned to face him. “How nice to see you.”

Obi-Wan smiled politely. “Chancellor,” He greeted, bowing to the man before straightening.

Valorum coughed. “Well I should probably head back, otherwise my vice-chair will come looking for me.” He said his goodbyes before leaving the former master and padawan.

“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Annika wondered, a warm smile on her lips as she entered her office.

Obi-Wan’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he followed her. “Am I not allowed to check on how my former padawan is doing?”

Annika raised an eyebrow as she sat down at her desk. “Has the Council expressed concern about how I’m doing my duties?” She inquired, folding her hands and resting her chin on top of them.

Obi-Wan shook his head, stepping forward. “No, in fact, they have nothing but praise for your actions, and I am in agreement with them.” He replied seriously.

Annika felt her cheeks turn pink, causing Obi-Wan to chuckle as he took a seat, crossing one leg over the other. “Not only have you managed to make the Jedi Senator, and by extension the Jedi Representatives, highly respected but the Senate has actually been making progress.”

Annika laughed softly, turning her head away which caused Obi-Wan to smile softly. “You’ve done amazing work, Anna,” Obi-Wan stated.

Annika’s lips twitched up into a smile. “Thank you Obi-Wan, but I would not have been successful if not for the Senators,”

“I may have provided the _opportunity_ for change but it would not have worked if they didn’t seek me out and put in the effort.” She replied honestly.

Obi-Wan inclined his head, smirking softly. “Then I suppose I should congratulate the Senators on actually doing something for once.”

Annika couldn’t help but giggle. “Obi-Wan!” She exclaimed, trying to sound scandalized but failing horribly. “They are good, honest people—“

She stopped when she saw the look he was giving her. “Perhaps there are a few who do not have such honorable intentions,” She admitted, recalling the numerous Senators who had tried to revert the changes she had made.

“But there are many who generally want to make a change,” She continued, staring seriously at Obi-Wan. “They had simply been limited by the Senate and corruption.”

Obi-Wan sighed softly, his smirk softening to a smile. “Then I suppose they should be grateful to your efforts,” He stated, reaching over to take her hand in his.

Annika shook her head, grinning up at him. “And I’ve only just gotten started.” Obi-Wan returned the grin, squeezing her hand softly.

They stayed in their position until a low cough caused them to quickly pull apart, Annika standing when she saw Eirtaé enter her office with a raised eyebrow.

“Forgive me Milady,” Eirtaé apologized, glancing at Obi-Wan with an unreadable look in her eyes. “But Vice-Chair Palpatine wishes to speak with you.”

“Of course, let him in,” Annika said.

Eirtaé nodded, stepping aside as Palpatine entered with a warm smile on his face. “Annika, my dear!”

Annika smiled softly, stepping forward to greet the man. “Vice-Chair Palpatine, this is a wonderful surprise; might I inquire as to the reason of your visit?”

The man’s smile grew wider. “I simply wish to give my praises to the woman who has single-handedly whipped the Senate into shape.”

Annika felt her face turn red, feeling rather uncomfortable with his words.

“You pay me great compliments Vice-Chair,” She began, smiling weakly, “But were it not for the Senators, I fear my changes wouldn’t have been as effective.”

“Of course,” Palpatine agreed. “But unfortunately, there are many who still feel fit to oppose you.”

Annika cleared her throat awkwardly. “I would not expect anything less, after all, there are many differing opinions in the Senate; I cannot expect them all to be the same as mine.”

Palpatine sighed. “Yes, I suppose that is the issue isn’t it?” He inquired sounding as if he was trying to hint at something.

Annika blinked, glancing at Eirtaé over Palpatine’s shoulder who shared her confusion.

“I would not classify it as an issue, after all, different viewpoints are simply natural it is what makes us who we are and allows us to grow.” She stated.

Palpatine simply hummed. “Well, I believe it is time for me to take my leave,” He nodded to Obi-Wan, who had stood silently throughout the entire ordeal. “Master Kenobi, forgive me for not greeting you.”

The man simply inclined his hand. “All is forgiven Vice-Chair,” He assured the older man, subtly stepping closer to Annika so that their shoulders brushed.

Palpatine grasped Annika’s hand, surprising the woman, and pressed a soft kiss onto it. “Goodbye Annika,” He said before taking his leave, the doors closing behind him.

The office was filled with silence until Eirtaé spoke up. “That was…”

“…odd?” Annika finished, raising an eyebrow.

Eirtaé huffed. “That’s one way to put it.” She remarked dryly, her lips twitching.

Obi-Wan stepped forward slightly. “Vice-Chair Palpatine was certainly…off.” He looked thoughtful for a moment before turning to face Annika.

“I’m afraid I must return to the Temple, the Council contacted me through my comm.” He apologized, sounding regretful.

Annika shook her head, smiling brightly. “Do not worry, after all, I wouldn’t want you to keep the council waiting.” Obi-Wan returned the smile.

Annika couldn’t help but blush, however, when he brought her hand up to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

Unlike when Palpatine did it, however, she didn’t feel uncomfortable rather the feeling was one of warmth and something she couldn’t quite place.

Obi-Wan bowed again before leaving, his cloak swishing behind him as the doors closed. Annika shook her head, feeling a smile pulling at her lips as she walked around her desk to sit down.

She frowned, however, when she saw Eirtaé smirking at her. “What is it?” She inquired.

The blonde handmaiden shook her head. “Nothing really, just musing on the closeness you and Master Kenobi seem to have.”

Annika felt her cheeks turn red. “He was my master, of course, we would have a close relationship.” She retorted, fidgeting slightly.

Eirtaé raised an eyebrow but was content to let the matter drop. “In any case, Senator Drae wants you to review this agreement that Gilcia Araner gave to him…”

Annika nodded, freeing her mind of any thoughts about Obi-Wan and turning her attention to assisting the Senator of Inal with the prevention of a revolution breaking out on his homeworld.

* * *

Vice-Chair Palpatine entered his office, waiting until the doors closed behind him before his expression morphed into one of annoyance.

He walked over to his desk, picking up one of the artifacts on it before hurling it at the wall. He watched impassively as it broke into a million pieces onto the carpet.

“Two months,” He muttered as he began pacing his office. “Two months is all it took for her to unravel all of my hard work.”

Even the Force couldn’t have shown Palpatine the effects Annika Skywalker would have on the Senate.

When Palpatine learned of Valorum’s plan to give the Jedi a seat in the Senate he immediately protested it, arguing the Jedi had always remained separate from the Senate why should that change?

(In truth he feared having the Jedi closer to him would mean he would be discovered)

However Valorum could not be swayed, so Palpatine instead reworked his plan and realized that the Jedi having a seat would actually _benefit_ him.

After all, the Senate had an ingrained dislike for the Jedi, surely having one in the Senate would only increase the tension, particularly when the Jedi were viewed as being unemotional beings.

He was even more pleased when Valorum announced that Annika Skywalker would be taking the seat.

A naïve girl freshly knighted with little experience in politics? It would be far too easy.

However Annika took him by surprise when she made it clear to the entire Senate that the Jedi would _not_ be at their beck and call, they were meant to keep the peace and serve justice.

That simple statement caused a domino effect as the blockage that had plagued the Senate slowly vanished when Annika proved herself to be rather competent at her job.

Still, he thought as he sat down in his chair, these events did provide him with a unique opportunity he hadn’t had before.

It gave him the chance to be close to young Annika.

The instant he laid eyes on the girl he knew she was the Chosen One, she was practically glowing with power. He attempted to take advantage of the fear she had felt, being separated from her mother.

Unfortunately, his original plan fell apart when not only did Master Jinn _survive_ the duel on Naboo but Shmi Skywalker was freed and brought to Coruscant.

But he didn’t let that dissuade him _too_ much since Annika was still older than the typical padawan and far more emotional, combined with the fact her new master was young and inexperienced and surely it would be easier to provide a comforting hand to a girl who felt misunderstood.

However Master Jinn had stepped up to give advice to his former padawan—even Dooku had remained a Jedi to lend a hand, something that disrupted Palpatine’s plans even _further_ —and the Jedi Council had actually put in an effort to get to know Annika.

Add in the fact that Senator Amidala had become Annika’s trusted confidante, and the fact that Annika had friends within the temple, Palpatine found it difficult to even converse with the girl.

Palpatine would not give up, no instead he would use Annika’s new position to his advantage after all surely the power she now had would make her desire more.

He waved his hand over the holocom on his desk, causing a blue image of a dark-cloaked figure to appear who immediately got on one knee. _“You called Master?”_

“Yes, I have a task for you,” He spoke in his low tone that made him unrecognizable as Senator Palpatine yet known as Darth Sidious, the dark cloak he was wearing also helped. “I need you to travel to Jallacom VII.”

The figure nodded. _“May I inquire why?”_

Sidious smirked. “It would appear the population has tragically been…forgotten by their government; such an injustice must not be allowed to continue.”

The figure nodded again, rising to his feet. _“It shall be done.”_ He paused. _“Will Kenobi be responding to the cry for help?”_

Sidious hummed. “It is a possibility, go now.” He ordered, waving his hand to end the call.

He folded his hands on his desk, surely seeing people so horribly treated would leave Annika feeling angry, which would cause her to _slip_ slightly.

Yes, it was a perfect plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to apologize if the way I write Palpatine seems OOC, but he's a damn difficult character to write. I can't help but feel that maybe I make him _too _obvious.__
> 
>  
> 
> _  
> _Also the ending feeds into the next chapter and three guesses as to who is the other dark figure._  
>  _


	6. The Mission to Jallacom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Annika travels to Jallacom VII with Eirtae and Sache to give aid to the ill people, she figured it would be a simple mission.
> 
> Unfortunately nothing is _ever _simple for her.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally I planned to post this mission in one chapter, however upon realizing that would make the chapter _over _ten pages, which I swore to _never _do again, I decided to split into two parts.____
> 
>  
> 
> _  
> _  
> _  
> _So here's the first part, where the old saying curiosity killed the Lothcat applies to Annika so much it isn't even funny._  
>  _  
>  _  
>  _

“Senator Skywalker, it is a pleasure to finally meet you.” Senator Jyma Dangir of Jallacom VII greeted, a wide smile on her face as she watched Annika approach her. “I hope your journey wasn’t too difficult?”

Senator Dangir was a woman who had clearly once been beautiful, dark brown hair was pulled back in a severe style while her eyes were a cold dark blue. Wrinkles lined her face, emphasizing her age.

The blonde returned the smile. “No, in fact, it was quite lovely.” She responded warmly.

Dangir nodded. “First Minister Zapal was rather pleased when he heard you would be accompanying the aid supplies.”

Annika raised an eyebrow. “I can’t imagine he was too shocked, given that he requested my assistance.” She remarked dryly, causing the other Senator to chuckle.

Indeed, the First Minister of Jallacom VII had petitioned the Senate to ask for aid after a ship carrying medical supplies to treat a sudden outbreak of illness had been destroyed.

The Senate had agreed to send aid with a Senator, but surprisingly the First Minister had personally asked for Annika.

There was no real reason to refuse the request so here she was.

“Yes, well both I and First Minister Zapal have heard many great things about you and couldn’t resist the chance to meet you personally.” The senator replied as the two women began walking towards a large white building where the First Minister, the Senator and the Council’s offices and residences were located.

Two guards flanked the women as they walked through the front doors which opened into the lobby that was ornately decorated.

A tall man with dark hair and bright green eyes dressed in blue stood with two guards, a warm smile stretching over his face as he moved to greet the two women.

“Senator Skywalker,” The man greeted cheerfully. Annika nodded, smiling politely. “You must be First Minister Zapal, it’s nice to meet you.”

Zapal nodded. “I am, and I must confess that meeting you has been a great desire of mine.” He stated bluntly.

Annika flushed. “I am flattered, truly.” She humbly replied, bowing her head slightly.

She quickly became serious as she lifted her head to meet the man’s gaze. “Regarding the distribution of aid, if you could provide a list of medical clinics I’m sure we could find the best possible location so everyone can-“

Dangir quickly cut in, her eyes barely glancing over at Zapal. “We are thankful for your concern Senator Skywalker, but we have already made arrangements.”

Annika frowned in confusion, but she was only supposed to accompany the medical supplies so she supposed she fulfilled her duty. “Oh, well, in that case, I shall be on my way and-“

“Senator! Senator!”

The loud exclamation caused the three to turn their heads, seeing a petite brunette running over to them.

“Kale!” Dangir snapped, causing the girl froze in place. “What have I said about interrupting important meetings?”

“I-I’m sorry Senator,” The girl stammered, ducking her head in shame. “I didn’t think-“

“That much is clear, how did I ever get stuck with someone like you as my aide?“

Dangir asked harshly as the girl’s face turned redder in embarrassment at the humiliation she was undergoing.

“Senator Dangir,” Annika spoke in a calm voice, but her glittering blue eyes showed her disapproval. Dangir quickly shut her mouth as her face burned.

Annika turned to look at the girl, a gentle expression on her face. “What’s your name?” she asked softly

The girl looked up in shock. “L-Lissa Kale,” she replied, her voice shaking.

Annika smiled warmly. “Well, Lissa, why don’t you tell us what caused you to come to us?”

Lissa seemed hesitant as she glanced at the cold expressions on Zapal and Dangir’s faces, but seeing nothing but encouragement from Annika she took a deep breath before explaining.

“The medical supplies are gone.”

“Gone! What do you mean gone?” Zapal demanded, the pleasant man from before gone as his face turned purple. “Where could they possibly have gone?”

Lissa seemed to shrink away from his harsh expression, pausing when she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. “First Minister Zapal, I understand how frustrating this situation must be, but surely we should hear Lissa out and not take out our anger on her?”

The blonde Jedi suggested diplomatically, raising an eyebrow as she stared at the man. The man swallowed heavily.

“Of course, Senator Skywalker,” He turned to Lissa who flinched, expecting another harsh remark. “Forgive me, my dear, please continue.”

Lissa nodded. “I was accompanying the medical supplies to the warehouse—to the medical clinic,” She quickly corrected when Zapal and Dangir shot her identical glares.

Annika raised an eyebrow, wondering why the medical supplies would go to a warehouse instead of a clinic but didn’t comment as she continued listening to Lissa explain what had happened.

“-the next thing I knew the transport had been stopped, there were three figures standing in the road-“

“Who were these figures?” Zapal questioned quickly. Lissa shook her head. “I don’t know, they wore cloaks and had masks on.”

“They ordered that the medical supplies be turned over to them, given that they were holding blasters we complied and they drove off in a landspeeder.”

“Who are these people?” Zapal demanded, his face red with anger. “Robbing a transport that was carrying medical supplies, leaving casualties in their wake-“

“-there were no casualties.” Lissa quickly cut in, flushing when their attention was drawn back to her. “There were no casualties, they didn’t even fire off their blasters.”

Annika frowned in confusion. “That is odd, why would they not use their blasters? Surely injuring the heavily armed guards would make it easier to take the supplies?” She wondered.

Zapal snorted. “With all due respect Senator Skywalker, trying to understand the workings of such devious minds is useless.”

Annika eyed him suspiciously. “Perhaps,” She agreed hesitantly, mind whirling with questions she wanted to ask.

A soft cough made her turn her attention back to Lissa who seemed even _more_ nervous, if possible. “Also, there’s something else…”

“What is it?” Annika inquired softly, causing Lissa to take another deep breath before speaking.

“While the supplies were being stolen, someone sabotaged your ship,” Annika raised an eyebrow while Zapal and Dangir shared wide-eyed looks behind her. “The engine is completely damaged and it will take at least two days to be repaired.”

“That’s…odd,” Annika mused, wondering why the thieves would sabotage her ship; what could they possibly gain from not having her leave?

“Well,” Zapal coughed. “Given these circumstances, I shall have a room prepared for you and your handmaidens.”

“Thank you, Minister,” Annika bowed her head, carefully eying the man who seemed _very_ nervous for some reason. “Perhaps if I could see the log for the medical supplies we’ll be able to locate them quickly—“

“Once again, I thank you for your offer of help,” Zapal cut in again, obviously trying not to sound irritated. “But our investigators will no doubt be able to track down the thieves quickly and I’m sure you wish to return back to Coruscant.”

Annika’s eyebrow furrowed but she didn’t press any further, simply inclining her head in thanks.

The man gestured at one of the guards next to him, who stepped forward and bowed. “This is Captain Odeon, he’ll escort you to your room.”

Annika nodded, moving to follow the captain who led her down a hallway that lead to the rooms designed for visiting dignitaries.

Lissa quickly left, nervously looking over her shoulder as she did, which left Zapal and Dangir standing alone.

After Annika was too far away to hear anything Zapal turned on Dangir, eyes blazing in anger. “What are we supposed to do now? If she finds out—“

“She won’t,” Dangir cut in. “She’ll only be here for two days at most, she has no reason to venture out of this building, we’ll play the perfect hosts and she’ll be gone before she notices anything.”

“She’s already offered to help look for the supplies, whose to say she won’t take things into her own hands? She _is_ a Jedi after all.”

“Then we shall do our best to _ensure_ she doesn’t learn anything,” Dangir said firmly, her expression and tone seriously.

Zapal gaped for a moment before releasing a heavy sigh sounding resigned as he spoke. “Can your _contact_ assist us?” He asked, carefully glancing around.

Dangir nodded. “Of course.”

“Then make it so; I won’t have our reputation ruined by a nosey Jedi who thinks she’s a Senator.”

Dangir turned on her heel and left, leaving Zapal standing in place for a few moments before he also turned to leave, robes billowing in his wake.

* * *

Annika couldn’t help but curiously glance up at the man escorting her. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

A grunt was his reply. “How long have you worked as Captain?” she began.

“Around five years, give or take.” He replied gruffly.

 She nodded slowly. “And this incident with the medical supplies, is it a regular occurrence?”

The man stopped, causing Annika to nearly walk into his back as he turned to face her with a hard look in his eyes. “A word of advice Senator Skywalker?”

Annika didn’t speak as he continued. “Curiosity isn’t a trait that’s appreciated here, you would do well to remember that.”

Annika inclined her head. “Thank you for the advice Captain, I shall take it to heart.” The man nodded stiffly, turning on his heel and continuing to walk down the hallway.

He eventually came to a stop in front of a large door. “This is your room, I hope everything’s to your liking.”

Annika bowed politely. “Thank you for escorting me.” He nodded sharply before walking away.

Her gaze continued to follow him until he turned a corner. Blowing a strand of hair out of her face in frustration she turned and opened the door.

She entered the room and couldn’t help but smile when she saw Eirtaé and Saché in deep conversation. The two women quickly rose when they saw her enter.

“I must confess that seeing you guys brings me a lot of relief,” Annika admitted as she moved to hug the two women.

“The walk here was certainly interesting,” Saché commented as she pulled back. “The guards didn’t take their eyes off us for even one second.”

“They’re _guards_ ,” Eirtaé pointed out dryly. “It’s in their title.”

Saché raised an eyebrow. “But why would the guards be worried about us, the handmaidens of a _Republic Senator_?”

Eirtaé hummed, silently agreeing with her point. She caught Annika’s thoughtful look and cleared her throat pointedly. “Something on your mind?’

Annika looked up with a serious expression. “The medical supplies were stolen, but the thieves didn’t injure or kill any of the guards which would make their escape easier: why?”

“Perhaps they didn’t have the time?” Saché suggested, sounding doubtful of the idea herself.

“Or,” Annika began. “Taking lives was never the goal.”

Eirtaé frowned. “What are you thinking Anna?”

Annika released a heavy sigh, crossing her arms over her chest as she began to pace. “According to Senator Dangir’s senatorial aide, the medical supplies were to go to a warehouse, _not_ a clinic.”

“Maybe they wanted to do an inventory in a secure location?” Eirtaé suggested, but the blonde Senator was already shaking her head. “No, they could have easily done an inventory at a clinic and then be able to quickly distribute the medicine.”

Annika’s brow furrowed as she continued pacing. “No, this is something else.”

Captain Odeon’s words came back to her: _Curiosity is not a trait appreciated here, you would do well to remember that._

She heard Eirtaé let out a resigned sigh. “What do you want to do Milady?” The blonde handmaiden inquired, knowing she was going to regret asking.

The grin on the Chosen One’s face did not bode _well_ for anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annika might possibly get herself into more dangerous situations than _Padme _, if that's possible.__
> 
>  
> 
> __  
> _I suddenly feel guilty for what I'm about to put her handmaidens through..._  
> 


	7. Tensions Rise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika begins her investigation and starts on the path to finding the truth but there are forces conspiring to stop her.
> 
> Or Eirtae worries a lot and has _very _good reason to and everyone tempts fate.__

“Allow me to go on record and state that I don’t like this at _all_ ,” Eirtaé said, putting emphasis on the last words as she carefully tightened the last lace on Annika’s dress.

Saché rolled her eyes, silently fixing her hood. “Yes, we are aware you think this is going to blow up horribly in our faces.”

“And yet you’re still going.”

The two women glared at each other, causing Annika to let out a heavy sigh as she brought her hood up to cover her face. “If you’re not comfortable doing this Eirtaé…”

Eirtaé shook her head, shifting slightly on the couch where she was seated. “I’m fine, I just can’t help but worry.”

Annika had decided that she would have to investigate the theft of the medical supplies, however, she knew that she’d never get anywhere as herself.

Thus, Eirtaé took on the role of decoy, hopefully drawing the attention of the First Minister and Senator while Annika and Saché went looking for answers.

“Do you have a plan, or at least an _idea_ of where you’re going?” Eirtaé inquired.

“Well, the thieves sabotaged my ship for a reason so…” Annika trailed off as Eirtaé pinched the bridge of her nose.

“So basically, your plan is to go seek out the people who sabotaged your ship and stole medical supplies and hope their non-violence approach to taking the medical supplies isn’t a fluke; what could _possibly_ go wrong?” Eirtaé asked sarcastically.

Annika just shrugged, a small grin forming on her face. “Don’t worry, this shouldn’t take too long.”

Eirtaé rolled her eyes as the two women left the room. “Don’t worry she says, I’m going to seek out potentially dangerous people who were desperate enough to destroy a ship’s engine, it will be fine.” She muttered under her breath.

Eirtaé sighed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. She really shouldn’t worry so much, after all, Saché was armed and Annika was a Jedi for crying out loud.

How much trouble could they _possibly_ get into?

* * *

Annika and Saché quickly ducked behind a pillar, carefully Saché peeked her head out and waited until the guards on patrol walked by them.

She nodded at Annika and the two women quickly ran down the hallway, going through a door that led into a large courtyard with a gate going into the city.

They made their way towards the gate, carefully glancing around to make sure they weren’t being followed before walking through.

They didn’t notice the cloaked figure watching them as they entered the city until they were out of its line of sight; the figure turned on its heel, heading back into the facility.

The figure walked through a series of hidden passageways, eventually ending up in an extravagantly decorated office where a familiar senator sat at her desk.

“What is your report?” Dangir demanded, fingers tapping impatiently on her desk. She felt a chill go down her spine when the figure’s yellow and red eyes stared at her.

Thankfully they quickly redirected their gaze to the window. “Senator Skywalker’s handmaidens just entered the city,”

“They what?” Dangir demanded, getting to her feet. “Why didn’t you stop them?” she questioned fiercely.

“Because I was ordered by my master to not draw attention to myself.” They replied in a dull voice.

Dangir bit her tongue to stop herself from making a remark that would most likely end with her death, which she didn’t want.

When this person had come to her saying that their master (whoever that was) wished to help her she had been both grateful and suspicious; however, she couldn’t deny that they would not have been able to blow up the ship without this figure’s help.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy; while the figure _did_ obey her mostly he made it clear their loyalties were to his master first and if her orders conflicted with what their master told them they’d always choose their master.

She was dreading the day their master decided she had outlived her purpose…

She shook her head, erasing the useless thoughts. “Most likely they’re going to seek out those trouble-makers,”

She gritted her teeth, those _freedom fighters_ had been a pain in her side for months now! She couldn’t _do_ anything sadly because it would draw unneeded attention.

But now…

A smirk formed on her lips as she turned to the figure. “You said they trust you?”

The figure nodded a barely visible smirk on its lips. “They believe I’m an anonymous helper who wishes to see justice done.”

They spoke in a mocking tone, clearly disgusted at having to say the words.

Dangir’s smirk grew wider. “Then surely you’ll have no trouble convincing them to give you their secret meeting place.”

The figure nodded. “It shall be done.” They bowed before leaving.

Dangir let out a satisfied sigh as she sank back into her chair. In a short time, Senator Skywalker’s handmaidens would either be dead or in prison, a terrible side-effect of being caught up with terrorists.

She doubted Senator Skywalker would try to speak with them, less her reputation be ruined and she could get rid of those “terrorists” quickly and effectively.

Yes, this would all be over and Jallacom VII would keep its _pristine_ reputation.

_Nothing_ would go wrong.

* * *

Annika couldn’t help but let out a soft gasp as she took in the scene before her, eyes wide in horror. “I thought Jallacom was a wealthy planet?”

“It is,” Saché replied, sounding ill as her gaze wandered. “Or, at least it’s supposed to.”

The streets of the capital city of Janal were filled with people wearing old and tattered clothing, clearly starving and ill.

The roads were dirty and Annika and Saché ended up using their hoods to cover their noses at the horrible smell emanating.

“I don’t understand,” Saché said, sounding frustrated beneath the cloth covering her nose. “This shouldn’t be happening; Jallacom is wealthier than Naboo…”

“A lie from the tongues of the people who hold us in their iron grip,” A hoarse voice spoke, causing the two women to jump and turn to face the source of the voice.

An old woman was hunched over in her chair, sharp silver eyes staring at them. Her grey hair was concealed by a ratty hood, she seemed to be wearing scraps of clothing that did nothing to hide the visible bones poking out of her skin.

Annika swallowed heavily, feeling ill as she took in the clearly starving woman. “Are you talking about the government?” She inquired, stepping forwards carefully.

The woman stared at her, eyes narrowed. “You are the Jedi Senator.” A statement, not a question, she knew who she was.

Annika and Saché had a conversation with their eyes before Annika turned back to the old woman, pulling back her hood to let her golden curls fall out.

The old woman nodded slowly. “Since we heard you were coming, everyone’s been talking.”

Annika raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t realize I was so popular out here.” She remarked softly.

The old woman snorted. “You managed to make that Senate move faster than it has for decades, that’s something pretty special.”

Her eyes glinted. “Many are hoping you might do the same here.”

Annika stared. “Does that need to happen here?” The old woman stayed silent, causing Annika to take another step forward.

“You know who the thieves are.” The old woman glanced up, wrinkled mouth turning up in a grin. “That force you use tell you that?”

Annika smirked. “Maybe I’m just good at reading people,” Her expression softened as she crouched down so she was eye-level with the woman.

“I have no intention of turning them in but they obviously have information for me; I only want to listen to them and find out the truth.”

The woman stared at her for a few moments, gauging her sincerity, before turning her head. Annika and Saché followed her gaze.

“At the end of the street, turn down the alley and walk until you reach a dark blue door,” The woman turned back to Annika and Saché. “Knock on the door and tell them who you are, they’ve been hoping you might seek them out.”

Annika nodded, giving the woman a soft smile. “Thank you, and I’ll do my best to help _all_ of you.” She promised sincerely.

The old woman smiled, her eyes twinkling. “I have no doubt you will.”

Annika and Saché followed the woman’s instructions., heading down the alley until they saw the blue door she mentioned. The two women shared a look before Annika held up her hand and knocked on the door.

“Hello?” Silence. “This is Senator Annika Skywalker, I heard you wished to speak with me.”

There was nothing for a few moments, and Annika and Saché glanced nervously at each other, then there was the sound of shuffling and hushed whispers; finally, the door opened to reveal a tall man with dark curls falling to his shoulders and a beard that looked like it hasn’t been shaved in months.

He held a blaster in his hand and he immediately pointed it at Annika, causing Saché to tense up beside her and reach for her weapon hidden beneath her robes.

The man’s eyes narrowed in suspicion and he tightened his grip on his weapon.

Annika quickly held her hand in front of Saché to stop her. “We mean you no harm, I wish to talk.” She insisted calmly.

The man relaxed slightly, but was still on guard. “How do I know you are who you say you are?” He questioned.

Annika bit her lip, debating with herself before she let out a sigh and unclipped her lightsaber; she slowly held out the weapon to the man whose gaze fell on it. “Is this proof enough for you?”

He didn’t budge one inch. “You could have killed her and stolen it off her body,” He pointed out.

Saché let out an irritated sound. “This is ridiculous, you don’t have time for this and neither do we.”

He glared at her, seemingly ready to slam the door in their faces when Annika spoke up in a calm voice. “Take it.”

He blinked. “I’m sorry?”

Annika held out the lightsaber more firmly. “My lightsaber, take it.” Saché gaped at the blonde Jedi, wondering what on earth she was planning?”

She took a deep breath before staring intently at the man as she proclaimed, “I am Senator Annika Skywalker of the Jedi Order; this lightsaber is my life and by entrusting it to you I also trust my life to you.”

She ignored the voice that sounded suspiciously like Obi-Wan yelling at her for being so reckless and simply stood with what she hoped was poise and not nervousness.

A beat passed before the man carefully grasped the weapon and took it from her outstretched palm. He examined it for a moment before glancing at her, then back at the weapon before letting out a heavy sigh.

A wry smile stretched across his mouth. “I believe you Senator Skywalker, you may enter.” With those words, he stepped aside to let them in.

Annika and Saché shared another look before entering the building.

Annika hoped Obi-Wan wouldn’t find out about her willingly giving away her lightsaber, but it was only a show of trust.

Nothing could happen, right?

* * *

“It would appear Senator Skywalker’s handmaidens have contacted the people who have been giving you trouble.”

A fist slammed down on the desk but the figure was unmoved. “How did this happen, why didn’t you stop them?”

Senator Dangir demanded, eyes blazing with fury as she stared at the figure.

“I was not under the impression that you wanted me to stop them, perhaps you should have made yourself clear.” The figure remarked coolly.

Dangir glared at the figure, biting back the words on the tip of her tongue. She brought her hand up to her forehead, rubbing her temples to alleviate the headache she felt was coming.

She let out a heavy sigh. “You know the meeting place?” She questioned, watching as the figure nodded. “Good. Inform the captain that there is an illegal meeting of people planning to commit treason, have him arrest the handmaidens .”

“What about Senator Skywalker, surely she will not agree with your statement and attempt to free them as well as the other people.”

Senator Dangir sighed again, knowing this was unavoidable. “I shall send the guards to take care of her, perhaps she was on her way to see her handmaidens when things got out of her hand.”

She smirked. “It was a tragic accident that could have been avoided, but it was the fault of the terrorists.”

The figure bowed and turned to leave through the passageway as Dangir returned her attention back to the papers to address the missing medical supplies.

Both were unaware of the stunned and terrified figure hidden in the shadows, having been on her way to speak to the senator when she heard voices and hid.

Lissa Kale was stunned at what she heard, arresting the handmaidens of a Republic Senator? Planning to _murder_ that same Senator?

Just how many lies had she been fed?

She felt a sudden burst of courage and her feet began to move as she ran down the hallway towards the rooms where Senator Skywalker resided, desperate to reach the woman unaware of her fate.

_I must warn her before it’s too late!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is the rising action leading up to the climax and falling action, basically increasing the tension. Yes, I'm being cruel with the cliffhanger teehee :)
> 
> Also Obi-Wan is _so _going to be mad with Annika for what she pulled.__


	8. This is our Revolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Annika's defense, getting thrown into prison wasn't her plan at all. Nor was starting a prison riot.
> 
> Or Eirtae punches someone, Sache gets knocked out by someone and Annika starts a revolution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a pain to write and it's twelve pages but you know what? 
> 
> I. Don't. Care! It's DONE.

“Where are you taking us?”

Annika asked as she and Saché followed the man as he led them down a hallway with a series of doors.

A little boy poked his head out, a curious expression on his face as he glanced at them. Annika gave him a warm smile which he returned with a huge grin, waving at her.

A woman appeared a few moments later, grabbing the boy by his arm and pulling him in as she nervously glanced over at them.

“Not the friendliest people,” Saché observed dryly.

“Can you blame them?” Annika asked in a quiet voice.

The two women looked at each other, wondering what dark secrets the Jallacom government had been hiding.

They came to a halt when the man stopped in front of two large doors; he knocked on them and they watched as a petite figure with their head covered peeked out.

Words were exchanged in a hasty manner before the figure turned to them, pulling back their wrap to reveal dark red curls and fierce green eyes.

“I am Myri Hamne,” she spoke in a calm tone. “We have been waiting for you, come in.”

She re-entered the room with the man beside her and they followed her; the room was tiny and the people standing inside had to squish together.

She walked towards a table that had been made into a makeshift desk, sitting down on the wooden chair.

“This is my second in command Cyan Arden,” She introduced. “I apologize for the way you were greeted, but I’m afraid we have to be cautious.”

Cyan nodded his head in agreement. “I would not put it past the government to send someone disguised as you to lure us into a trap,” His tone was disgusted, showing his opinion of the government.

Annika nodded, understanding. “So, you are the leader of the thieves who stole the medical supplies?”

She felt Saché wince beside her at the blunt way she asked her question but they didn’t have time to dance around and act vague.

If she was going to help these people then she needed to know everything.

Cyan turned a bright red and opened his mouth to respond but was stopped by Myri holding up her hand. “There is no need for us to lie; yes, we stole the medical supplies.”

“Why? Those medical supplies were to help those inflicted with the disease that has been plaguing your planet why would you—“

Something clicked in her mind. “Those supplies would have never gotten to them.” She stated as realization set in.

The medical supplies being taken to the warehouse instead of the clinic, the fact that they refused to let her see the paperwork…

Annika swallowed heavily, feeling bile rise in her throat as she realized that the Jallacom government was going to let their people die from illness.

Myri let out a bitter snort. “Oh, they would have gone to the government officials and the upper class but we would have never seen them.”

She began pacing and Annika could see how thin she was, her clothes practically hanging off her body.

“They aren’t even sick, at least not as sick as the people who barely have enough to eat and don’t have access to proper medical care.”

Saché felt her lips thin as another thought struck her. “Jallacom has always been very charitable, giving more help than even Naboo in times of disaster; we figured the planet must be wealthy to provide such assistance,”

She stared at Myri. “But that’s not true, is it?” she asked in a sad tone.

Myri’s mouth turned up in a wry smile. “No, the reason the government can provide such aid is because they have high taxes and make us work for barely anything.”

An elderly man nodded, stepping forward. “Most families barely have enough to put food on the table, as soon as the children are old enough they go to find work that is far too dangerous for them,”

He shook his head. “But they do it anyways because it’s the only work they can get.”

Annika thought of the boy she saw earlier and felt a pang in her chest when she remembered he was completely covered in dirt; he must have just gotten back from work, whatever that was.

A woman with short brown hair and steel-colored eyes spoke up. “We can’t get proper jobs because we aren’t able to pay the fees necessary to attend school, hell we can’t even vote because the government fears we might ‘disrupt the proper order of things’”

She made finger quotes with her hands and spoke in a mocking tone before clenching her hands into fists at her side.

Myri placed a hand over her fist in a comforting manner, taking a deep breath before she spoke in a monotone voice.

“In the eyes of the government we are not people; we are tools meant to serve a purpose, animals who are to be locked away from outside contact.”

“This is how it has been for decades, we have tried to fight it but our voices have been silenced,”

She paused, turning to look at Annika as her voice became fierce. “The question is, Jedi Senator, will you help our voices be heard?”

Annika felt a million pair of eyes turn their gazes on her, for even though there were only ten people in the room, there were many people relying on her answer.

People who had been abused by those meant to protect them, people who had been living horrible lives, people who were unable to speak up without being punished.

These people had been ignored for far too long; it was time for that to change.

“I will,” she promised sincerely as she stared into their hopeful eyes.

A small smile stretched across Myri’s face as she spoke in a voice that was too tired for one so young. “Thank you.”

Annika returned the smile and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by the sounds of panicked yells.

The room filled with worried voices as Myri yelled out to be heard over them. “What’s going on?” she demanded.

“It’s the guards!”

Myri’s eyes widened with horror as Cyan turned his anger on Saché and Annika. “Were you followed?”

“No, I swear we weren’t!” Annika cried out, her tone pleading.

The doors slammed open and guards flooded into the room, quickly moving to grab anyone they could.

“You are all under arrest for terrorism and conspiring against the peace of Jallacom!”

Annika watched in horror as the elderly man who had spoken to her was thrown to the ground. “Stop this at once, these people have committed no crime!”

She demanded fiercely, her blue gaze burning as one of the guards moved towards her; he reached out to grab her wrist only to let out a howl when she reacted instinctively, her Jedi training kicking in as she fought back.

She twisted his wrist, causing him to fall to his knees in pain, before driving the back of her elbow into his head causing him to be knocked out.

“Anna, look out!” Saché called out, quickly throwing one of her knives into the shoulder of a guard sneaking up behind the Jedi.

Annika turned just in time to see the man fall to his knees; despite the situation she grinned at the brunette handmaiden. “Nice shot!”

Saché just winked before turning around to drive her knee into the groin of another guard.

Unfortunately, she didn’t notice the guard coming up behind her who hit her with the butt of his blaster causing her to fall to the ground unconscious.

“Saché!” Annika exclaimed, moving towards her handmaiden to help her only to be stopped by the guard pointing his blaster at the brunette’s head.

“Unless you wish for your companions to die you will surrender immediately,” he commanded and Annika noticed that three other people, including the old man who had been forced to the ground earlier, were on their knees with blasters pointed at the back of their heads.

She caught the conflict on Myri’s face, the desire to fight back yet she did not want any bloodshed; the redhead swallowed heavily, slowly raising her hands above her head and dropping her blaster to the ground.

The others surrendered after that and were quickly handcuffed; Annika gritted her teeth when she saw one of the guards roughly pick Saché up and hoist her over her shoulder.

“Move along!” A guard barked out behind her, giving her a rough push that caused her to stumble.

She looked over her shoulder to glare at him but didn’t say anything as she was led outside and while walking past Cyan she realized he still had her lightsaber.

_Force, Obi-Wan can_ never _find out about this_

The group was led single-file down the street and as she looked around she could see a crowd of people had gathered outside; they were talking in hushed whispers, their eyes conveying their fear and sympathy.

She caught sight of the little boy from before hiding behind his mother’s legs; he met her gaze and seeing his fear she gave him a warm smile that she hoped would tell him that everything was going to be fine.

_Eirtaé_ _is going to kill me_ …

* * *

“Senator Skywalker?”

“Yes, please come in,” Eirtaé called out, schooling her expression into one of calmness as she sat down and smoothed the creases out of her dress.

Senator Dangir entered, an expression of sympathy on her face that had Eirtaé panicking.

_What happened?_

“I’m sorry to inform you of such a tragic event, Senator Skywalker; we just arrested a group of terrorists and your handmaidens were found among them.”

_What?_

Eirtaé felt stunned. “I’m afraid there must some mistake Senator Dangir, my handmaidens are the most honorable and compassionate women I have known; there is no way they would help terrorists.”

Dangir ignored her, continuing as if she hasn’t spoken. “They have been taken to the prison—“

“What?” Eirtaé exploded, getting to her feet and fixing the senator with an angry glare. “What about their trial?”

Dangir’s mouth curved into a cruel smirk. “They were found in the presence of criminals, that is proof enough of their guilt.”

Eirtaé felt her body go cold, realizing that if Senator Dangir was no longer hiding her corruption she planned to get rid of her.

The cold-hearted woman bowed to her, her face now expressionless as she left. Eirtaé stood in place for a moment, completely shocked by what had just occurred before she slowly sat down.

A knock on the door made her look up quickly, cautious she drew her blaster and slowly approached the door; she wrenched open the door and pointed her blaster—

—at Lyssa Kale, who stood frozen with one hand still raised to knock.

The two of them stared at each other, the tension building before Eirtaé reluctantly lowered her blaster.

“I was under the impression that Jedi preferred their lightsabers,” Lyssa noted, raising an eyebrow.

Eirtaé smirked. “Haven’t you heard? I’m not a normal Jedi.”

Lyssa smirked, though it quickly slipped from her face as her expression became serious. “We must hurry, Senator Dangir plans to have you killed and make it look like an accident.”

Eirtaé raised an eyebrow. “Why should I trust you?” she asked. “How do I know you aren’t the one she sent to do the deed?”

Lyssa took a deep breath. “Senator Dangir has a contact, I don’t know who they are but I do know they sold out the ‘terrorists’ and subsequently your handmaidens.”

Seeing Eirtaé still wasn’t convinced she hurried on. “The Senator has a datapad, one she keeps locked in the first drawer of her desk, I’ve never been allowed to touch it,”

She bit her lip worriedly. “I think…it may have the information you need to send her and the First Minister to prison.”

Eirtaé frowned. “Why are you helping me?” she wondered, still suspicious.

“Because,” Lyssa began, a soft smile forming on her lips. “It’s the right thing to do.”

Eirtaé returned the smile. “Well then, we should hurry,”

“After all, accidents _can_ happen and I should be cautious.”

* * *

“Well, this is just great.”

Annika noted sarcastically as she crossed her arms, glaring at the man who had his back turned to her as he walked back to his office.

Apparently, his name was Vayi Kinall and he had a fierce reputation as a brutal warden. He even had a nickname: The Terror of Jallacom which was pretty self-explanatory.

Jallacom Prison also had a cruel reputation; everyone suspected of committing a crime, even if they hadn’t done it, were sent here.

Trials could take months or even years to happen if they even happened at all; meanwhile, the inmates were put through brutal torture and were barely given any necessities.

It reminded her of how some slaves were treated and it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Letting out a heavy sigh Annika turned to check on Saché, who was seated on one of the beds rubbing her head where she had been hit.

While she was no Healer Annika could determine that she had no concussion, just one hell of a headache that would hurt for days.

“We can’t stay in here,” she whispered harshly. “We need to get out and warn the Republic.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Myri spoke up from her cell that was located next to theirs.

Annika thought for a moment before her eyes widened, a grin forming on her face. “The guards were under the impression I was a handmaiden, right?”

“Yes, why?” Myri’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“That means they’re not aware I’m a Jedi,” her grin became wider. “So, they didn’t try to dampen my ability to use the Force which gives me an advantage.”

She turned to Saché. “Do you still have your lock picks?”

Saché smirked. “Yes, apparently, they were too busy to properly search me.”

She pulled one out, moving to kneel in front of the cell door and furrowed her brow in concentration as she began picking the lock, cursing once or twice along the way.

Eventually, she heard a click and she grinned triumphantly as she stood, quietly opening the door so she didn’t alert any of the guards.

Annika turned around so she could meet Myri’s eyes. “I promise I’ll return to free you, all of you,” she swore.

Myri smiled softly. “I have no doubt you will,”

Annika returned the smile, turning to leave when another voice caught her attention. “Wait, Skywalker.”

She glanced over at another cell to see Cyan holding something out to her through the bars. “You may need this,”

She gasped when she saw he was holding her lightsaber. “How did this not get taken when they searched you?” she wondered as she took it.

He grinned. “Simple: they didn’t realize they had also captured a Jedi.”

Annika shook her head, clipping her lightsaber on her belt as she turned to look at Saché. “You ready?” she asked.

Saché nodded, a smirk on her face. “Always.”

The two continued down the hallway slowly, careful not to alert anyone to their presence; they eventually ended up in what looked like a control room with an entire wall of monitors and buttons laid out on a control pad.

“How do you think we get out of here?” Saché wondered as she glanced around.

Annika began looking around as well, trying to find a way out, when the doors slid open to reveal the warden with five guards.

“Well, look what we have here,” Vayi observed as a cruel smirk appeared on his face. “Two little prisoners out of their cell.”

“Your eyes are still working then,” Annika remarked sarcastically, hand immediately going to her lightsaber.

“You’ve got spunk, too bad that’s not going to help you.”

The guards immediately pulled their blasters and began firing; Annika ignited her lightsaber and began blocking blaster bolts while Saché returned fire.

The brunette managed to hit two of the guards who immediately fell to the ground from their wounds.

“Anna, look out!”

Vayi, in the confusion, had managed to sneak up behind Annika wielding a baton; Annika turned around quickly, using her lightsaber to slash his shoulder.

He let out a howl of pain, his eyes burning with anger as he hit her hard in the shoulder with his baton.

She let out a cry of shock and stumbled back against the control panel; unfortunately for Vayi the button her hand landed on happened to control all the cell doors.

“No!”

He called out in horror as all the cell doors slid open while an alarm began blaring. The wrongfully held inmates began flooding out, fighting viciously against the guards who struggled to keep them back.

Annika let out a breathless laugh. “Looks like the tables have turned Warden, now you’re the one terrified.”

With that she hit him in the face with the hilt of her lightsaber, breathing heavily as he fell to the ground.

“Not exactly according to plan, but it worked,” Annika looked over to see Myri and Cyan standing beside Saché, both held blasters they had taken off the guards.

Annika laughed, her eyes twinkling. “Feel up to helping me make the government listen?”

Myri’s mouth stretched up in a mischievous grin as she stepped forward, holding out her hand.

“Show us the way.”

* * *

“We have to hurry, I don’t know when she’ll come back.”

Lyssa said in a harsh whisper as she entered Senator Dangir’s office with Eirtaé close behind; the blonde immediately made her way over to the desk and opened the top drawer.

She let out a relieved sound as she reached in, pulling out a silver datapad. “I’m amazed she doesn’t keep this locked,” she mused as she tucked the datapad into her robes.

Lyssa let out a bitter laugh. “I suppose she never expected me to betray her,”

Eirtaé smiled softly, placing a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “She and the First Minister have been hiding this corruption for years, even deceiving the Chancellor; do not blame yourself.”

Lyssa’s mouth twitched up in a small smile as she gave her a grateful look. The sound of an alarm going off made the two jump in surprise. “What is that?” Eirtaé asked, the blaring of a siren making her ears ring.

“What is that?” Eirtaé asked, the blaring of a siren making her ears ring.

“That’s the alarm connected to the prison system; there must have been a break-out!” Lyssa explained, sounding shocked. “There hasn’t been one in decades!”

_That’s because Annika Skywalker was never imprisoned there_

Eirtaé thought, wondering exactly _how_ Annika ended up breaking out of jail and causing a riot.

“We should hurry,” Eirtaé suggested, to which Lyssa agreed.

The girls quickly left the office and began hurrying down the hallway. They were stopped, however, by a group of guards led by Captain Odeon.

“Senator Skywalker, by order of First Minister Zapal we are to escort you back to your rooms,” Captain Odeon spoke up, his gaze serious as it rested on her.

Eirtaé cleared her throat. “I’m sorry Captain, but there is something I must do first.”

The Captain’s gaze hardened. “Then you leave us no choice.”

He pulled out a pair of handcuffs and began moving towards her. Eirtaé bristled at the absolute disrespect for her (well, Annika’s) position.

Her irritation went away, however, when she took note of his actions: he seemed to be angling towards her enough that she could easily grab his blaster if she wanted to and he clearly had no intention of handcuffing her.

_Is he actually helping us?_

Eirtaé didn’t dwell on it, taking the opportunity presented to her she quickly withdrew his blaster from his holster and jumped back, pointing it at him and the guards.

She swore she saw him smirk at her briefly before his expression became emotionless.

“Put the weapon down Senator,” Another guard ordered, hurrying to disarm her.

Thinking fast, Eirtaé clenched the hand that wasn’t holding the blaster into a fist and swung it so she hit the guard in the face.

That act set off a chain reaction as the guards, done playing nice, charged at her.

She tossed the blaster at Odeon who quickly fired, hitting one of the guards in the shoulder.

Another guard stared at him with wide eyes. “You dirty traitor!” he roared at the man, eyes blazing.

Odeon just smirked. “I was never anything else,” he quipped as he also shot that guard.

Lyssa, it turned out, wasn’t that bad of a shot as she used the blaster of the guard Eirtaé had knocked out to hit three more guards.

“Put down your weapons now!”

An unfamiliar male voice commanded. The remaining guards turned to face the voice, freezing when they saw there was an army of _very_ pissed off inmates glaring at them.

Eirtaé could tell that even though they weren’t armed, they could easily take down the guards; the guards also knew this as they immediately dropped their weapons and got on their knees after which they were immediately restrained with their own handcuffs.

“Eirtaé!”

Annika cried out as she ran towards her handmaiden with Saché close behind, pulling the blonde handmaiden into a tight hug.

“I was worried about you two,” Eirtaé said as she pulled back, her lips curving up into a smirk. “Especially since you caused a riot in the prison.”

“Hey!” Annika protested. “I didn’t exactly _mean_ to cause it, it just happened.”

Eirtaé raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Uh huh, and what happened to you?” she directed her question to Saché who flushed in embarrassment.

“Some coward snuck up behind me and knocked me out,” she muttered under her breath, sounding irritated.

Eirtaé shot her a worried look but couldn’t question her as Captain Odeon approached with Lyssa close behind.

“Senator Skywalker, I have contacted my men who are coming to pick up the cargo.”

He explained in a serious tone. Annika frowned, her eyebrows furrowing.

“I was under the impression _these_ were your men Captain,”

Something clicked inside her brain and her frown turned into a smile. “What organization do you work for?”

Eirtaé blinked in realization, whipping her head around to look at the man who chuckled. “I’m Special Agent Kiergan Pryde with the Dessau Unit of the Anti-Corruption Bureau.”

Eirtaé couldn’t help but gape, this man was a Judicial Investigator?

The Anti-Corruption Bureau was a department of the Judicial Department tasked to deal with, as the name suggested, corruption in their respective sectors; however, if the corruption in one sector was linked to corruption in another sector, then the two units could jointly investigate.

“How long have you been investigating Jallacom’s government?” Annika inquired.

Captain Odeon—Agent Pryde—sighed heavily. “I’ve been undercover for around ten years now, it’s been rather difficult to investigate considering how secretive the First Minister and Senator are.”

Myri couldn’t help but butt in. “So, you’ve stood around and done nothing while innocent people are suffering.”

She commented in an icy tone, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

Pryde narrowed his eyes at her. “Had I intervened then my cover would have been blown and I would have been no use to you, Miss,”

His tone softened as he continued. “I am sorry for the pain you have experienced, I wish I could have done more to help you.”

Myri bit her lip, nodding her head sharply. “I accept your apology Agent Pryde,” she replied stiffly.

Eirtaé cleared her throat. “Well, we may have something that can assist you, Agent,” she pulled out the datapad from her robes and handed it to him.

Pryde turned it on, quickly hacking into it and began reading through it.

A grin formed on his face. “This is the inventory of the medical supplies and records of where it was supposed—none of which were sanctioned medical clinics,”

He looked at Annika. “Combined with the illegal imprisonment of you, a Republic Senator, I have enough evidence to launch an investigation.”

Annika smirked. “Well then, let’s not keep First Minister Zapal and Senator Dangir waiting.”

She began walking towards the meeting chambers; her handmaidens stood on either side with Pryde, Lyssa, Myri and the other Jallacomians close behind.

She stopped in front of the large doors, taking a deep breath before steeling her expression as she pushed open the doors, calling out as she entered.

“First Minister Zapal!”

Annika got a kick out of the expression on his face; he was completely stunned to see her and Chancellor Valorum, whom he was speaking with, looked amused.

“Senator Skywalker, how nice to see you,” Chancellor Valorum greeted warmly, his hologram flickering. “How have you been?”

Her mouth curved up in a smile. “Good, except for the fact I was in prison until a few minutes ago.”

Valorum’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected answer. “What?”

“Did First Minister Zapal not tell you?” she asked, turning to head to look at the white-faced man. “Perhaps because he planned for me to be dead.”

“Is this true?” Valorum demanded, his eyes blazing as he looked at Zapal who winced. “First Minister, explain yourself.”

“Chancellor, this is all a big misunderstanding,” Zapal stammered. “I had no idea Senator Skywalker was the woman whom I had arrested—“

He stopped when he realized what he just said. Valorum crossed his arms over his chest. “Continue, First Minister, I’m all ears.”

“Allow me to fill in the blanks Chancellor,” Pryde spoke up, stepping forward. “Agent Pryde with the Anti-Corruption Bureau sir; First Minister Zapal and Senator Dangir have been treating the people they were sworn to protect as animals, making them work in horrible conditions for low wages.”

“They’ve made it hard for them to get a decent education and even harder for them to speak out against the injustices committed against them; anyone who speaks out is silenced, thrown into prison if they become too outspoken.”

He held up a datapad. “There’s evidence on here that shows Senator Dangir planned to redirect the medical supplies from people who needed it.”

Chancellor Valorum inclined his head. “Then an investigation must be launched immediately Agent Pryde, I trust you can handle it.”

Pryde bowed slightly. “Absolutely,” he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and walked over to Zapal.

“First Minister Zapal, you are under arrest for violating Republic law and for the illegal arrest of a Republic Senator.”

He cuffed the man, grabbing him roughly and pushing him out of the meeting chambers.

Annika watched him go before turning to look at the Jallacomians. “Senator Dangir is missing, can I trust you to locate her _safely_?”

Myri nodded, smiling wryly. “Don’t worry, we want justice to be properly served.” she gestured at Cyan and two other men who followed her out.

Annika turned towards Chancellor Valorum who was smiling at her. “Well, despite the circumstances, it looks like there’s a happy ending.”

“You did good Senator Skywalker; these people _will_ be getting back their rights.”

Annika smiled shyly as she ducked her head; she turned at the sound of the doors slamming open, frowning when Myri entered.

“Senator Skywalker you need to see this.”

* * *

Annika stared at the scene before her: Senator Dangir lay on the floor of her office, body splayed out and a visible lightsaber wound on her chest.

“Senator Skywalker…”

Cyan began, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye.

Annika shook her head. “It wasn’t me, it must have been…” she paused as she reached out with the Force.

A shiver went down her spine when she felt a thick, dark feeling to the air in the room. “A Jedi didn’t do this.”

“Then who did?” Myri questioned.

Annika bit her lip, shaking her head. “I’ll have to inform the Council.” she brushed over the question, changing the subject.

Myri stared at her for a few moments but decided not to push. “Not exactly how I hoped this would end, but at least Zapal will face justice.”

She smiled at Annika. “You kept your promise Senator; you gave us back our voices.”

Annika returned the smile. “I always keep my promises Myri.”

“Now, let’s get to work rebuilding the government.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Annika frees Jallacom and *gasp* Senator Dangir is dead, killed by a lightsaber O.O
> 
> I apologize if any part of this, particularly the end, sounds horrible; I literally finished this around midnight, closer to one in the morning so I was kind of sleep-deprived. 
> 
> I went back and fixed it but something may have slipped through so *shrugs*


	9. The Aftermath of Jallacom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What comes after the revolution
> 
> Or: Obi-Wan finds out about Annika giving away her lightsaber and is not pleased and they spend time in the creche and tell the stories that will no doubt haunt them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone who knows Obi-Wan and Annika is used to their arguments; it's almost expected

“So, I heard you had quite the adventure my dear,”

Annika couldn’t help but laugh at the statement, her eyes twinkling as she walked forward. “That’s a bit of an understatement Master Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan shook his head as he stepped forward to meet her. “Only you could go on a relief mission and end up starting a revolution.”

She felt her cheeks turn bright red. “In my defense, the revolution only lasted an hour and it was a long time coming.”

Obi-Wan smiled softly as he reached out to take her hand. “It was, you gave these people back their rights Anna.”

Annika felt her cheeks turn even redder. “It was the right thing to do, I couldn’t just ignore them,” she replied softly.

“No,” Obi-Wan said in an equally soft voice. “No, of course you couldn’t.”

The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes before Obi-Wan coughed, releasing her hand as he stepped back. “I shouldn’t be taking up all your time, there are other people who want to see you.”

Annika raised an eyebrow. “Who—“

“Anna!” A familiar brunette was hurrying over, causing two maintenance droids to beep and quickly move out of the way.

“Padmé!” Annika exclaimed, letting out an _oof_ as she was pulled into a tight hug.

“Oh Anna, I was so worried about you when I heard that you had got arrested—“

“Padmé—“

“And then First Minister Zapal planned to _kill_ you—“

“Senator Amidala—“

“I can’t _believe_ they’ve been doing this for so long, how on _earth_ have they gotten away with it—“

“Padmé,” Obi-Wan said sternly, causing her to look at him. “I’m sure Annika is grateful for your worry,” his tone became amused as he continued. “But I believe she would like to breathe now.”

Padmé released her friend, cheeks turning pink in embarrassment. “Sorry Anna,” she apologized sheepishly.

Annika waved off her apology, raising an eyebrow when she saw a familiar figure making its way down the ramp. “Threepio?!”

The protocol droid waved at her. “Mistress Annika, oh how worried we were, you really shouldn’t be so reckless—“

He was cut off by Artoo beeping at him. “Yes, I realize she saved a lot of people but that doesn’t excuse her—“

The astromech beeped again. “I am _not_ a worrywart!”

Annika shook her head as she watched the two droids argue back and forth, her lips twitching.

Padmé was also trying to hide her amusement as she cleared her throat. “Threepio was quite stressed when he heard about you so I decided to bring him here.”

“Well, as you can see Threepio I am perfectly fine,” A thought suddenly popped into Annika’s head. “And I believe you could be of some use to us.”

“As you know, we are currently trying to rebuild Jallacom’s government and ensure everyone is treated fairly; that means we have started to renegotiate some treaties so having a protocol droid present may make things easier.”

“I am always happy to help Mistress Annika!” Threepio announced eagerly. Artoo beeped at him in a sarcastic tone.

“Really Artoo, Mistress Annika is clearly alright so I see no reason why I shouldn’t lend my assistance,” Artoo beeped again as he rolled away.

“Artoo, you are the most irritating droid I have ever had the pleasure of knowing!” Threepio exclaimed as he caught up to the blue droid, the two continuing to bicker along the way.

Padmé rolled her eyes and went after them, likely to keep them out of the trouble.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat as he and Annika began to walk. “Well, Threepio is certainly a… _interesting_ droid, no doubt because you are his creator.”

Annika hit him in the shoulder, causing him to chuckle. “Be nice, at least he has character.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, smiling softly. “How are you Annika, really?”

He inquired, glancing at her worriedly. When the Chancellor had told the Jedi Council about what had happened on Jallacom Obi-Wan had felt a surge of worry and, surprisingly, anger.

Upon meditating he had determined that while yes, some of his anger was directed at Annika for being so reckless, the majority was directed towards First Minister Zapal and Senator Dangir for being so utterly corrupt and willing to sacrifice Annika to keep their reputations intact.

There was a reason he hated (most) politicians; when it came down to it they’d do anything to protect themselves.

Annika blinked at him. “I’m fine,” she replied, confused.

“Are you sure,” he pressed. “Because I know about the warden’s reputation.”

That had also been in the report, to determine how many people needed to be arrested and tried for their assistance in covering up the crimes of Zapal and Dangir.

He felt sick when he read about what that man had put the inmates through, treating them like they were less than human.

Imagining _Annika_ going through that…

Annika shook her head. “No, nothing happened,”

Upon seeing Obi-Wan’s skeptical look she smiled. “Really, I got out rather quickly and I was relatively uninjured from the experience.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “ _Relatively_ uninjured?”

She sighed heavily. “Well, he _may_ have hit me in the shoulder with his baton…” she winced as she felt a sudden burst of pain from said shoulder.

She froze when Obi-Wan gently touched her shoulder, sending soothing feelings through the Force.

“Does that feel better?”

He asked softly, glancing intently at her. She nodded as she reached up to place her hand over his. “Very,”

The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before a soft cough made them turn their heads.

Padmé stood with Lissa and Myri, the newly elected Senator and First Minister of Jallacom respectively, who were staring at them with curious expressions. Padmé, on the other hand, had a smirk on her face.

There were also two other familiar faces whom Obi-Wan recognized. “Miss Eirtaé, Miss Saché it is nice to see you again.”

Eirtaé inclined her head politely. “Perhaps it would have been nice to not meet under such circumstances.”

Obi-Wan nodded. “I agree,” he smiled charmingly at Saché. “I hope you are doing well my dear, and that you have recovered.”

Saché grinned. “Well you know, taking a blow to the head isn’t the greatest thing in the world but hey at least I survived.”

Annika rolled her eyes. “If you are finished flirting with my handmaidens Master Kenobi,” she remarked dryly. “Perhaps we could get started on the treaties?”

Myri chuckled. “That would be nice,”

A serious expression appeared on her face as she turned to Annika. “I would also like to again thank you Senator Skywalker for your efforts.”

The blonde senator turned bright red. “Really Myri, you have already thanked me enough,” she pointed out, waving her hands in front of her.

Myri inclined her head. “That is true, but you went beyond the duty of a senator and even a Jedi to ensure our freedom; I can’t think of any Jedi who would willingly give their lightsaber away to earn someone’s trust in order to help them—“

“-I’m sorry First Minister, but you did you just say Annika _gave away_ her lightsaber?”

Obi-Wan demanded, turning to look at his former padawan who was looking very guilty.

“Oh, I thought you already knew…” Myri trailed off as Annika let out a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose while she spoke.

“Obi-Wan, I wouldn’t have done if there was any other option—“

“That is no excuse Anna, your lightsaber is your _life_ —“

“—which is exactly _why_ I gave it to Cyan; what better way to prove my loyalty?”

“Perhaps you could have used, oh I don’t know, _words_?”

“Yes, because I had all the time in the world to talk while he had a blaster pointed at me and, oh I don’t know, two corrupt politicians prepared to do anything to hide their secrets?”

“It is so like you to charge headfirst into a situation without thinking of the consequences!”

“Let me guess, you would have contacted the Senate and the Council for advice before acting; well guess what I didn’t have the _luxury_ of simply sitting around and twiddling my thumbs!”

The two continued to argue, causing the two current Jallacom politicians to stare at them in shock.

They had heard stories about Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was renowned for his calm manner, yet here he was _arguing_ with Senator Annika Skywalker.

“Are they always like this?” Lissa asked, looking over at Padmé and her former handmaidens. Padmé smiled.

“Yes, they do have a habit of butting heads.” She turned her gaze back towards the arguing Jedi.

“You get used to it.”

* * *

 

“Senator Skywalker will you tell us again about how you broke out of Jallacom’s prison?”

Annika couldn’t help but smile at the eager faces staring up at her expectantly. She saw Darra shake her head and sigh as she made her way over.

“Initiates,” The expressions on the children’s faces became guilty. “Senator Skywalker is here to help you with your lessons, she is not here to be bothered.”

“Come on Master Thel-Tannis,” Darra jumped, startled by the unexpected voice. “What Senator Skywalker did could be considered a lesson in itself: a lesson in how to unsuccessfully start a prison riot.”

The red-haired Jedi turned to see Ferus Olin and Tru Veld standing in the doorway of the creche; both men could be considered tall, though Tru’s frame was lankier than the other one.

Ferus had brown hair that fell into his face with a singular gold streak and warm brown eyes that managed to convey both warm and seriousness while Tru had black hair and silver eyes, his skin also had a silvery tinge to it as was normal for Teevans.

“Really Ferus,” Darra scolded as he walked over to her. “Why can’t you say hello like a normal person? Anna has rubbed off on you.”

“Hey, I’m sitting right here!”

Said woman protested, causing the initiates to burst into giggles while Tru let out a heavy sigh having become used to the antics of his friends.

“Nice to see you too Darra,” Ferus greeted with a grin, pulling the woman into a tight hug that had her turning as red as her hair.

The initiates giggled louder as Darra pushed the man away from her. “What happened to the stern, Code-abiding padawan I once knew?”

She wondered with a small smile while his mouth turned up in a smirk.

“He met a relaxed, non-Code-abiding padawan,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder at Annika who smiled back at him.

Had you told Ferus and Annika they would be friends when they were padawans, they would have sent you to a mind healer because they would have thought you were crazy.

Saying the two of them didn’t get along would be like saying Qui-Gon liked to mess with the Council; the two of them would go at each other every chance they got.

It wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone who knew them; Ferus was known for following the rules strictly and being a model Jedi while Annika (much like her grand-master and great grand-master) didn’t and was more emotional than the typical padawan.

Their relationship was tense until they hit their teens when Annika put her life on the line to save Ferus on a diplomatic mission that had gone south.

Ferus returned the favor on another mission and from that point on the two were like siblings: they would poke fun at each other but when push came to shove they’d stand by each other.

“And that was when everything went downhill for him,” a dry voice remarked causing every head to turn to Obi-Wan leaning against the doorway casually with his arms crossed over his chest and a small smirk on his face.

“Master Kenobi!” The initiates exclaimed, immediately getting up and running over to him with excited expressions on their faces.

Annika tried to stifle her laughter when two of the initiates attached themselves to his legs, causing him to look up at her with a panicked expression.

“Little ones,” she said calmly causing their heads to turn to her. “I’m sure if you let Master Kenobi into the crèche he might be willing to tell you some stories.”

That had the desired effect as the two initiates let go of his legs, causing him to give her such a grateful look that her mouth was practically twitching from how hard she was trying not to laugh, and followed the other initiates as they sat down and waited patiently.

“Now,” Obi-Wan began as he walked over to stand beside Annika. “What story should we tell?” he asked, looking at Annika.

“Oh, I know!” A Togruta teen named Ahsoka Tano piped up, waving her hand back and forth. “How about the time when you got caught in a trap on Azrail and Senator Skywalker had to rescue you?”

Obi-Wan’s cheeks turned bright pink in embarrassment. “I can’t _believe_ you told them that story!”

He exclaimed, glaring at Annika who adopted an innocent expression. “I have no idea what you are talking about Master Kenobi, all I did was tell the initiates how to take action when a fellow Jedi was in trouble,”

She said, sounding so diplomatic that Obi-Wan had to do a double-take; he let out a heavy sigh.

“Oh yes, you’re _definitely_ a Senator,” he remarked dryly. “Perhaps I should tell them about the time _you_ got yourself into trouble, on Palac I believe?”

He questioned, a small grin on his face as he watched the blonde Jedi’s face turn bright red and glare at him.

“Why don’t you tell _both_ stories?” Tru suggested, feeling his face heat when all eyes turned to him. “They involve very different situations and the solutions to those problems may benefit the initiates.”

Obi-Wan and Annika shared a look before Obi-Wan relented, releasing a heavy sigh. “The things I do for the future of the Order,” he muttered under his breath, sounding put out though the way his lips twitched said differently.

Annika laughed, smiling as she allowed a small Twi’lek boy to crawl in her lap. “You go first.”

She offered, extending an olive branch since it _was_ her fault they were doing this.

Obi-Wan smiled, silently praising Annika for her skill in making compromises. He turned back to the eager initiates, clearing his throat and speaking once he had their attention.

“Well, I believe we were on Palac to provide aid to the people…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to lie, Obi-Wan and Annika with the initiates was fun to write; they're good with kids (though Obi-Wan would disagree with that statement :D)


	10. Here We Go Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika is starting to wonder if she is cursed because that's the only possible reason for her getting suspiciously invited by a Senator for unknown reasons.
> 
> Obi-Wan's just hoping he can keep his former padawan out of trouble.

“Senator Skywalker, how nice to see you again!”

Annika turned at the exclamation, spotting Senator Raffan Aren of Kumai approaching with a warm smile on his face.

She couldn’t help but return the smile. “It is always a pleasure to see you Senator Aren,” she replied sincerely as he stopped in front of her.

He shook his head. “You always are so polite, even when facing difficult politicians, you maintain your composure.”

Annika shared a look with her handmaidens. “Forgive me Senator Aren, but your rather blatant flattery implies you wish to ask something of me.”

She stated curiously, raising an eyebrow in question. Aren chuckled softly.

“Guilty as charged I’m afraid,” he gestured for her to walk with him which she did. “Have you heard of the Annual Kumai Swoop Race?”

She nodded. “It’s a swoop bike race that goes through the forests of Kumai and a big event that draws nearly a million people from all over the galaxy, it also is one of the biggest sources of income for your planet.”

Aren inclined his head. “Correct, it has brought much attention and tourism to our planet, we are truly thankful for Castan Daivan.”

Castan Daivan was the coordinator of the event, if Annika was being completely honest she got an odd vibe from him but maybe that was because he was a businessman.

“In any case, I have a permanent invitation to attend the event and can bring one guest,” he smiled warmly. “I would like to invite you to attend.”

Annika blinked rapidly. “I am honored, Senator, truly but why?” she pressed. “Surely your wife would like to attend.”

Aren shook his head. “My wife is very sick now, she’s on bed rest.” Annika made a sympathetic noise. “I’m sorry.”

He waved his hand. “It’s alright, she’s getting the best care possible,” he sighed, a small smile on his face. “But I know she would want me to still go, and I find your company quite pleasant.”

The blonde Jedi smiled. “Well, I am honored and will have to check my schedule,” she noticed his expression changed, it was subtle but it was clearly one of desperation. “But I am pretty sure I am free, so I will be happy to accompany you.”

Aren nodded. “Well, be sure to comm me when you know.” He bowed politely to her and turned, walking down the hallway away from her.

Annika waited until he was out of sight before turning to Rabé. “This may just be me being paranoid after Jallacom, but did it seem to you that Senator Aren was hoping that I could come?”

“It did appear that way Milady,” Rabé replied. Yané, who was standing next to Rabé, spoke up in a soft voice. “It was as if you were his last hope.”

Annika made a face, the last time anyone viewed her as such were the people of Jallacom when their rights were being ignored.

Needless to say, she had a bad feeling in her chest.

Especially since there was, apparently, a new Sith Apprentice roaming around. The Council had not been pleased to learn that, especially since, during the investigation, which the Jedi had been kept in the loop about, it had been learned that Senator Dangir and the Sith had been in contact with each other since right after the Naboo Crisis.

It had disturbed the Jedi to learn just how quickly the Sith Lord got a new apprentice after his old one had been killed by Obi-Wan.

Annika bit her lip. “Rabé, do I have any meetings right now?”

Rabé shook her head. “No, Milady.”

“Good, because I need to comm the Council.”

She ignored the confused expression of her handmaidens and determinedly made her way to her office, she needed to inform the Council of her suspicions.

If there was anything she had learned from Jallacom, it was that she shouldn’t ignore her instincts.

* * *

“I understand Senator Skywalker, thank you for telling me.”

Obi-Wan frowned as he entered Mace’s office with Qui-Gon, watching him turn off his comm before turning to face them. “Why was Annika calling? Is there a diplomatic crisis that requires our help?”

Mace shook his head. “No, in fact, it is more of a Jedi issue.” Qui-Gon’s expression changed. “Is it the Sith?”

He and Mace did not miss the way Obi-Wan tensed at the word. “Anna has been invited to attend the Annual Kumai Swoop Bike Race by their Senator.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Why is that so unusual?” he asked.

Mace sighed. “From the way Annika described it, it seemed Senator Aren didn’t want her to come as much as he _needed_ her to be there.”

Qui-Gon shared a worried look with Obi-Wan, while Annika had certainly managed to befriend many of the Senators they couldn’t think of a reason as to why someone would need her to attend an event unless it was for diplomatic reasons.

“Does she believe it to be a trap?” Qui-Gon asked. “No, but she has the same feeling she had on Jallacom.”

Silence fell over them. “So, what exactly do we do?” Obi-Wan inquired.

Mace smirked. “That’s where you come in Kenobi, congratulations you’ve just won a fee pass to a swoop bike race, consider it a vacation.”

Obi-Wan gaped, glaring at Qui-Gon who looked amused. “Master Windu, how exactly is that going to work? Senator Aren only invited Anna, won’t he be suspicious if I show up?”

The Corellian Jedi raised an eyebrow. “No, because very recently our Senator was wrongfully imprisoned and we are still cautious about her safety: as her former master, you have been chosen to act as her guard.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest, to say that it wasn’t going to work but he sighed, realizing protesting was futile and Mace had already made up his mind.

“Very well, when do we leave?”

“Tomorrow,” Obi-Wan nodded and turned to leave. “Master Kenobi.”

He looked over his shoulder to see Mace staring intently. “Listen to the Force, this Sith apprentice is good at covering their tracks.”

Obi-Wan inclined his head, smirking a little. “Yes, well, unfortunately for them I have experience in dealing with Sith.”

Mace shook his head, managing to sound both resigned and amused at the same time. “It’s a good thing I don’t have hair because I would have lost it a long time ago with all the antics you and Annika get yourselves into.”

Obi-Wan just grinned as he left, leaving his former Master smirking at Mace who gave him a look that said he blamed him for all the headaches he had endured over the years.

He probably wasn’t wrong with that assumption.

* * *

 Obi-Wan paused as he entered Annika’s apartment, taking the time to look around and admire the place as he hadn’t had the chance to see it before.

The apartment was nowhere near as grand as the one Padmé had, but that wasn’t a surprise given that Annika herself was very modest. The living room was decorated in a minimalist yet still tasteful manner, the color scheme consisting of calming teals, greens, and blues that made the room seem brighter.

There was a sitting area right in front of Obi-Wan with four teal couches facing a long glass table, on either side were large windows that served to allow more light in and on the left wall there was a balcony running along the entire length with an outdoor seating area and dining area set up on it.

Obi-Wan was quite impressed, it would appear his former padawan had decorated her new living quarters to be quite fitting for a Senator.

 _But, it seems some things haven’t changed,_ he thought with a grin when he saw a pile of mechanical parts resting on a small end table off to the side.

A _swish_ sound made him look up to see a brunette handmaiden exiting a room with a basket of laundry in her hands.

“Hello.” He greeted pleasantly, wincing when she let out a small squeak and dropped her basket.

He reached out with the Force and stopped the basket from hitting the ground, levitating it in the air which caused the handmaiden to stare at it blankly.

Picking it up, he walked over with a warm smile on his face. “Forgive me for startling you my dear, might I ask your name?”

She flushed as he handed the basket back to her. “Y-Yané,” she replied softly.

“Well Yané, I’m looking for Senator Skywalker,” she nodded, gesturing for him to follow her which he did.

She led him to Annika’s bedroom where she was packing clothes into her suitcase, talking to Eirtaé while she did so. Threepio was off to the side, muttering something that Obi-Wan couldn’t hear.

The bedroom had slate grey walls with the bedspread being lavender and white with various matching throw pillows; there was a bench at the foot of the bed and off to the left was a large window letting light in while off to the right was a large closet that was open.

Yané cleared her throat. “Milady, Master Kenobi is here.” Annika looked up and smiled warmly. “Thank you Yané.”

The brunette handmaiden smiled back, flushing when Obi-Wan also thanked her and lightly kissed her hand.

Annika rolled her eyes as her handmaiden hurried away. “Must you flirt with every woman you see?”

“I was simply being polite.”

He insisted, causing the blonde Jedi to raise an eyebrow in disbelief. “I’m sure,” she replied sarcastically, causing Eirtaé to chuckle.

“Well, I have other things to do so…” Eirtaé trailed off, quickly leaving the two Jedi alone. Annika turned back to her packing. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Obi-Wan smiled. “Can I not visit my former padawan?”

She shot him a look and he sighed. “It would appear I’ll be joining you on your trip.”

Annika looked at him, confused for a moment before realization set in and she narrowed her eyes. “When I told the Council about my suspicions, I was not implying that I needed a babysitter.”

Obi-Wan shot her a look. “You implied you felt the same way you did on Jallacom, where you were imprisoned _and_ where a Sith was proven to have been; a little bit of caution wouldn’t be amiss.”

Annika opened her mouth to respond but closed it, resigning herself to the fact that Obi-Wan wouldn’t budge on this. “Very well.”

Her former Master raised an eyebrow. “I must admit, I was expecting you to put up more of a fight,” he commented.

She shrugged, turning back to continue packing. “During my time as a Senator, I learned that fighting over tiny, minor details isn’t worth it.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but chuckle at that, he could just imagine a Senator stubbornly refusing to compromise on one certain detail of a treaty and Annika being utterly _frustrated_ while she tried to convince them that no, this wouldn’t hurt them in any way and would, in fact, benefit them.

Annika looked up from her packing, a small smile on her face. “Besides, having some extra help wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

He frowned at this, wondering how bad the feeling she got actually was. “Anna…” he trailed off meaningfully, causing her to bite her lip worriedly.

“I can’t explain it, I just have this sense that something bad is going to happen on Kumai and I should, no, I _need_ to be there.”

Threepio decided to speak up. “Milady, if this is true then perhaps you shouldn’t go on this trip?” He suggested, sounding like that was the course he wished she would take.

If the look on Annika’s face was any indication this was apparently something Threepio had been trying to convince her to do for a while now. “Threepio, I’ve explained this: if something bad _is_ going to happen, then I need to be there to help.”

Obi-Wan frowned at her. “Anna, it is not your job to—“

Annika stopped him. “But it _is_ ; aren’t the Jedi supposed to help people, using the Force to do so?” She asked, glaring at him.

Obi-Wan let out a resigned sigh, quietly agreeing with her. After all, wasn’t that what Annika, in her capacity as the Jedi Senator, was supposed to do? Ensure the Jedi could properly serve the people of the Republic?

“You are correct, my dear,” he said as he stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders while giving her a soft look. “But how are you going to do that if you’re injured?”

He pointed out, causing Annika to let out a soft sigh while her lips turned up in a soft smile. “I suppose you’re right.”

He winked at her. “I always am.”

She snorted, shaking her head as she turned around. “Well if you’re just going to stand there, perhaps you can make yourself useful by helping? Since this was rather last-minute we’ve been hurrying to get ready.”

Obi-Wan spread his hands out, a soft grin on his face. “I am at your command Milady.”

He was instantly concerned when he saw the mischievous look on his former padawan’s face which did not bode well.

He was correct in his assessment as he spent the rest of the afternoon being ordered around by Eirtaé and listening to Threepio’s concerns about his mistress going on such a dangerous mission and what if she was kidnapped or injured or made a fool out of herself?

The things he did for her…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Annika is about to go on another adventure...at least Obi-Wan's with her this time xD
> 
> Also Obi-Wan is such a charmer


	11. Explosive Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika and Obi-Wan attend the race and things quickly heat up
> 
> Or Annika wishes people would stop lying to her

“Look at that move Obi-Wan, it was perfectly executed!”

Annika exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement as she pointed at one of the screens. She wore her curls in a low ponytail and was dressed in a dark green long-sleeve dress with light green detailing on it and had a black and gold scarf wrapped around her neck.

If Obi-Wan was being completely honest he had no idea what the rider had done, to him it just looked like he moved in a series of sharp turns and twists, but Annika obviously knew and that was truthfully the most important part.

Despite her initial worries about coming here, Annika had quickly been swept into the atmosphere of the race, oohing and awing as they passed the various racers prepping their bikes and talking about engines and other stuff that he and Rabé had no clue about.

Umé had understood however and had joined Annika in gushing over the craftsmanship of the bikes until they had been pulled away as they had to get to their seats.

“I understand you are quite the pilot yourself Senator Skywalker,” Castan Daivan commented with a wide grin on his face that unnerved Annika.

He was a rather handsome man who, despite being in his fifties, managed to look younger with dark hair combed back and warm green eyes paired with a blinding smile.

Annika turned to face him with a gentle smile. “I’ve been told I’m quite decent,” she replied in a modest and vague tone.

“I would say you’re more than decent, considering you were the first human to ever win the Boonta Eve Classic podrace.” Senator Aren pointed out causing the young Jedi to blush.

“You must have been rather impressed with your Padawan,” Daivan directed the comment to Obi-Wan who raised an eyebrow.

“I have always been impressed by my Padawan,” he remarked dryly. “She has never failed to make me proud of her.”

Annika felt her cheeks turn even redder at her former Master’s words, glancing at Obi-Wan with a soft smile on her face, letting out a tiny laugh when he winked at her.

“Forgive me Castan, but I believe my legs may have fallen asleep,” Aren commented as he stood up. “I’m going to take a walk.”

Obi-Wan moved to let him pass, looking over his shoulder to watch the senator walking away until he disappeared around the corner.

“Considering he was rather eager for Senator Skywalker to come here, it’s odd that he’s leaving,” Rabé noted suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

Obi-Wan nodded his head in agreement. “It is rather unusual,” he commented. He heard Umé speak in a concerned tone. “Mr. Daivan, is that swoop bike _smoking_?”

His head immediately snapped up and he saw that the swoop bike was indeed smoking and was out of control. The rider had a panicked expression on his face as he tried to steer the bike while the riders near him tried to move out of his way. Suddenly his swoop bike exploded, causing everyone in the vicinity to be knocked onto the ground.

Obi-Wan reacted instinctively, grabbing both Annika and Daivan and pushing them to the ground. He spared a glance for Rabé and Umé who thankfully took cover.

Annika quickly got up and began scanning the area, her heart pounding when she saw a smoking husk where the swoop bike had once been surrounded by various people lying in pain.

Running over to the area, she didn’t even wait to see if the others followed her and came to a stop in front of what was once a swoop bike.

Her heart fell when she saw a burned, unrecognisable body that was likely the rider of the bike.

“Well,” Obi-Wan began as he folded his arms over his chest. “It would appear your suspicions were correct.”

Annika looked at Obi-Wan, despite his light-hearted tone those words didn’t bring her any comfort as she wanted her suspicions to be wrong.

* * *

 

Umé approached Annika with a solemn expression. “Twenty injured m’lady, eighteen had been close to the explosion while the other three had been injured by being knocked down.”

Annika nodded. “And how many dead?”

Umé and Rabé shared an uncomfortable look before Rabé cleared her throat. “Four m’lady, including the rider of the swoop bike that had exploded.”

The blonde senator closed her eyes, regret and sorrow swirling around in her chest at the lives that had been lost.

If only she had done something…

“We cannot know everything,” her eyes shot open and she turned to see Obi-Wan walking over with a sympathetic expression. “You could not have seen that this would happen, Anna.”

Annika laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “I felt something in the Force, it was trying to warn me and I did nothing about it. I could have told Senator Aren and Daivan—“

Obi-Wan shook his head, placing his hands on her shoulders and gripping them tightly. “Anna, you and I both know that getting someone to listen to you about a warning from the Force is difficult: whose to say they would have believed you?”

“You are not responsible Anna, you do not carry everyone’s sins on your shoulders.”

He said firmly, causing Annika to nod and smile at him. “You always know how to say the right thing Obi-Wan.”

“This is an absolute tragedy, I can’t believe this happened!” Daivan exclaimed, causing the two Jedi to turn towards him as he walked over.

“I offer my condolences,” Obi-Wan said compassionately. “I assure you that I will do everything in my power to help you catch whoever is responsible.”

“Yes, thank you,” Daivan replied, turning to face Annika. “Will you also be lending your assistance Senator Skywalker?”

Annika blinked. “Of course, letting such a tragedy go without punishment is not in my nature.” Daivan nodded his head rapidly.

“Good, with any luck the perpetrators will be quickly apprehended—“

Daivan stopped when he saw a familiar redhead running towards the group. “Amaya, my dear, what’s wrong?”

The woman, Amaya, stopped in front of him. “It’s…Senator…Aren…” she panted. “I can’t find him!”

“What?” Daivan exclaimed. “What do you mean you can’t find him? It’s not like he just vanished into thin air?”

Umé spoke up. “M’lady, I just remembered something.” Everyone turned to look at her expectantly.

“The bomb was wired into the engine of the swoop bike, designed to go off after a certain amount of time because of the pressure applied to it by the engine, but during the tour we got I was able to see the inside of the swoop bike and there was nothing out of the ordinary,”

Annika nodded, as guests of Senator Aren they got a behind the scenes tour and were able to converse with some of the riders. “Which means that the bomb had to be placed either after or during our tour.”

Obi-Wan nodded, his eyes widening as he remembered something. “And Senator Aren left _minutes_ before the bomb went off.”

Daivan gaped. “Master Jedi, you aren’t honestly suggesting that Raffan had something to do with this?”

The Jedi sighed as he ran a hand through his beard. “I’m not sure about anything right now, but we can’t ignore the possibility that he may be involved.”

Obi-Wan turned to Amaya. “I’m assuming you are one of Senator Aren’s aides my dear?” he inquired, causing her to flush. “Y-yes.”

Obi-Wan smiled charmingly at her. “Then that means you have access to his house and office, which I need to have a look at.”

The redhead nodded shyly, causing Annika to roll her eyes. “Since you’ve _obviously_ found what you’re doing, I should start by interviewing witnesses…”

Annika trailed off, narrowing her eyes when she saw a familiar Twi’lek girl in the crowd glancing around nervously. The reason she recognised the girl was because she’d seen her before, first on the streets of Kaya talking to merchants and, later, at the prep area talking to various riders.

“Anna?” Annika turned to see Obi-Wan staring at her and she cleared her throat. “As I said, I shall interview witnesses to see if any of them might have seen something.”

Obi-Wan nodded, gesturing at Amaya with a grin. “Lead the way, my dear,” he said charmingly, causing the woman to blush as the two walked away.

Daivan also took his leave, going to check on the riders who were injured and (sadly) notify the families of the riders who had died.

Rabé looked at Annika with a raised eyebrow. “Why do I have the sneaky suspicion we _aren’t_ going to interview witnesses.”

“We are,” Annika insisted. “It’s just we’re going to interview a specific witness.”

She gestured with her head at the Twi’lek girl who turned around and left. “I saw her around the prep area, she may have seen something.”

“Or she has something to do with the bomb,” Umé pointed out, sounding worried.

Annika sighed. “That is also possible, unfortunately, but that means there is even more reason to talk to her.”

She smiled. “It will be fine, I’m sure,” she insisted even though she really wasn’t.

Rabé sighed, shaking her head. “Why do I get the feeling that’s exactly what you said to Saché before you got thrown into prison?”

Umé snorted, smirking. “Technically she didn’t get the chance because Saché got knocked out.”

Despite the situation Annika couldn’t help but laugh, smiling slightly. “She’s never going to live that down, is she?”

“Probably not.”

* * *

 

Obi-Wan glanced around Senator Aren’s home office, his office at the government building having yielded nothing useful. He was rather hoping this would be much more fruitful.

Amaya was nervously standing in the doorway, glancing around as if she expected Senator Aren to pop up at any moment. “How long will this take?”

Obi-Wan smiled charmingly at her. “I do not know my dear, but it is necessary,” he replied diplomatically as he began searching around in the senator’s desk.

He frowned when he pulled out a datapad, tapping on it to wake it up. “Wait, that’s Senator Aren’s, you can’t just…”

Amaya protested, stopping when she saw what looked like a log of some kind appear on the screen.

Obi-Wan scanned the log, there were words and symbols but none of them made any sense to him: was this some kind of code?

He leaned his hand on the desk and jumped when he heard doors hissing as they opened, turning with Amaya to see a secret room revealed.

“That’s odd, why would a Senator need a secret room?”

Obi-Wan wondered out loud, carefully walking in with Amaya close behind. He froze, hearing Amaya let out a horrified gasp at what lay before them.

A table with various mechanical parts was in the center of the room and, pinned to a board above the worktable, were detailed plans for bombs and swoop bike engines.

_Well, it seems our dear friend Senator Aren was involved, after all,_ Obi-Wan thought as he took a closer step to examine the scene more closely.

The sound of a blaster being fired made him whirl around, igniting his lightsaber as he ran out of the room and headed towards where the sound had come from.

He stopped, staring horrified when he saw a blonde woman lying on the tile floor gasping for breath.

“Celessa!” Amaya screamed, running to her side instantly. “She’s Senator Aren’s wife,” the redhead explained quickly as she began trying to help the woman.

“This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi requesting an air ambulance,” he spoke into his com, relaying the address.

He crouched down next to the woman. “Mrs. Aren, do you know who your attacker is?”

Her voice came out in a whisper as if she was trying to conserve her strength. “R-Raffan…” But that was all she was able to say as her eyes began to dim and she let out one last breath.

Obi-Wan closed the woman’s eyes and stood silently, staring at the dead woman as the sounds of Amaya’s sobs and sirens echoed in the background.

* * *

“I see her!” Annika whispered, catching sight of the Twi’lek girl talking with some merchants. By the looks of it, it was an angry talk if her waving arms and the pointed gestures of the merchants was any indication.

The girl, now frustrated, turned and began walking away. Annika followed her with Rabé close behind, Umé having taken a position further away so she could cut off the girl if she tried to run.

Annika was hoping it wouldn’t come to that but she knew that was a very big possibility.

She approached her slowly, keeping a friendly expression on her face as she spoke. “Hello, I was wondering if I could talk to you?”

The girl turned, narrowing her gold eyes at her. “I’m sorry, I don’t have time.”

Annika smiled warmly. “I understand, but this won’t take that long.”

The girl opened to reply again, maybe refuse, but stopped. Her eyes widened and she began moving backwards.

Annika was confused but let out a loud groan when she saw her lightsaber was clearly visible. “I’m not going to hurt you—“

But she wasn’t able to finish because the girl took off. “Why do they always run?”

She muttered, running after the girl with Rabé following close behind. They weaved through the crowd, whispering quick apologies to the people who were knocked down in their haste to reach the girl.

“Wait, please stop!” She called out but the girl ignored her calls and kept running, increasing her pace.

Eventually, however, she was caught by Umé stepping in front of her and causing her to stumble and fall into a pile of boxes.

Annika panted heavily as she stopped in front of the girl, who was desperately trying to get away. “Calm down, we don’t want to hurt you.”

The girl glared at her. “You keep saying that, but how do I know that is true? I only wish to find my sister.”

Annika approached her, stopping when she saw the girl flinched away from her. “Then I want to help you, but I need information from you in order to do that.”

She watched the girl eye her curiously, debating with herself before she sighed. “My name is Oola, what do you want to know?”

Annika held out her hand to help her up. “I saw you around the prep area speaking to some of the riders, I was wondering if you saw anything unusual.”

Oola immediately stiffened, her eyes narrowing to slits. “I had nothing to do with the bomb g, if that’s what you’re asking,” she responded, sounding defensive.

Annika held up her hands. “I was not implying you were,” she paused. “However, anything you noticed may help in our investigation.”

Oola still seemed hesitant. “Oola,” Annika spoke in a soft, comforting tone. “I know you are afraid, but I promise you: _nothing_ will happen to you if you tell me what you saw, even if it turns out to be nothing.”

Oola released a heavy sigh. “When I was talking with one rider…the rider who…was blown up, I noticed a figure near his bike examining the engine.”

Umé took the chance to speak up. “A figure?”

Oola nodded. “I didn’t get a good look at him, but he was wearing a mechanic uniform so I figured he was just fixing an issue or something.”

Annika took a deep breath to prepare herself as she asked, “Was this figure tall with blonde hair?”

Oola blinked. “Yes, actually they were.”

Annika turned to look at Rabé and Umé who had worried expressions on their face. “Senator Aren fits that description,” she whispered.

“As do many people M’lady,” Rabé pointed out quietly.

Annika inclined her head in agreement before turning back to Oola. “Thank you Oola, now you mentioned you were looking for your sister.”

Oola nodded, her expression darkening. “Yes, my older sister Kinsa, she went missing a year ago while attending this race.”

Annika nodded, listening as she gestured for Oola to walk with her. “She’s a fan of swoop bike racing then?”

The blue-skinned Twi’lek nodded, laughing. “Yes, she’s actually a very good pilot and wants to be a professional rider.”

Her smile seemed to fade as she spoke and she ducked her head down. Annika placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, speaking in a soft tone. “Did your sister contact you before she went missing?”

Oola nodded. “Yes, she called us all excited, said she got an offer to race and if she won she’d get a deal with sponsorships and everything,”

“She promised to call back and tell us how it went but…we never got the call.”

“And you’ve been searching for her since.” Annika finished, looking at the girl sympathetically.

She could imagine the pain she was going through, the fear that she might never find her sister again. Twi’leks were such a popular target for slavers and with Kinsa having been alone she would have made a perfect target.

“I promise you Oola, I will do everything in my power to find your sister,” Annika swore, causing her handmaidens and Oola to look at her.

“I…thank you,” Oola replied, a hopeful smile on her face. Annika returned it, frowning when she heard her comm start beeping.

She answered it with a hello and listened as Obi-Wan spoke, her eyes becoming wider with every word. “I understand, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

She ended the call. “That was Obi-Wan, he wants me to come to the Kumai Police Station.”

Annika looked at Oola. “You should come with us; the police will want to take your statement and we can see if they have any information on your sister.”

Oola nodded, following Annika and her handmaidens after a moment of hesitation as they walked to the police station.

They entered the station which was buzzing with activity, no surprise given the recent events, and were immediately greeted by Obi-Wan as he walked over to them.

“Hello, who is this?”

He inquired, glancing at Oola curiously who responded by slightly hiding behind Annika. “This is Oola, she’s an eyewitness,” the blonde Jedi explained, nodding at the Twi’lek.

Oola relayed her account to Obi-Wan, who crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “I see,” he replied, looking at Annika. “That isn’t much of an account.”

Annika gave him a look, turning her head when Oola spoke. “I gave my account; can I go ask some of the officers if they recognize my sister?”

Annika nodded, watching as the girl wandered over to the officer working the front desk and began talking to him. Obi-Wan turned back to Annika, shooting her an accusing look.

“Anna…” he began, only to be stopped by Annika. “Her sister has been missing for over a year Obi-Wan, she and her family are worried so I agreed to help her if she gave her account.”

Annika retorted, causing Obi-Wan to sigh. “I realize that, but we have a rather big case now and finding a missing person isn’t that big of a priority, and her account didn’t give us much.”

He pointed out, causing her to snort. “Since when did the Jedi start measuring cases on a scale? And at this point, any information is helpful.”

Obi-Wan sighed, realizing she might have a point. “In any case, it’s looking more and more like Senator Aren is behind the bombing, especially since his wife has been murdered—“

“Wait, Cele has been murdered?” Annika demanded, her face turning pale.

“Did you know her Anna?” Obi-Wan asked softly. “I’m so sorry.”

She shut her eyes tightly, ignoring the sympathetic expression of her handmaidens. “I’ve met her at a few galas, she was always so nice…”

Annika stared at Obi-Wan intently. “Who killed her?” Obi-Wan sighed. “According to her? Senator Aren.”

Annika froze. “No, that can’t be,” she shook her head rapidly. “He loved his wife, he would have never…”

She stopped, hearing her voice shake as Obi-Wan placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Senator Aren said his wife was sick,” she looked at Obi-Wan. “But that wasn’t true, was it?”

Obi-Wan shook his head sadly, causing her to clench her fists together. She walked away to regain control over her emotions, frowning when she saw a datapad.

“What’s this?”

She asked as she picked up the datapad, tapping to wake it up while Obi-Wan walked over. “I found it in Senator Aren’s desk, it’s a log written in a code that I can’t crack…”

He trailed off as he saw Annika’s expression become darker and darker. “Anna, what is this?”

Obi-Wan watched her take a deep breath. “This is a merchandise log.”

He frowned. “What kind of merchandise?”

Annika turned to face him, her eyes burning. “People.” Obi-Wan’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean—“

“I do.” She took another shaky breath as she stared at the datapad, wanting it to burst into flames.

“Senator Aren was selling people into slavery.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, can you tell the next chapter is going to be really emotional for Anna? Also, Senator Aren is going to be in a lot of trouble when she catches up with him.


	12. What is Truth and What are Lies?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two Judicial agents show up to help Obi-Wan and Annika track down Senator Aren but it seems there are more questions than answers.
> 
> Or Annika is still confused and doesn't know what to believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So fun fact: originally this was going to be the last chapter of this "arc", however, I realised the chapter would be fairly long (which you guys might have been ok with) and would also take me a lot longer to finish.
> 
> So I decided to post the first part of this chapter now and the second part later; don't worry, I have seven pages of the next chapter already written so it shouldn't take too long for me to finish it, edit it and post it...I hope.

“Excuse me, Senator Skywalker?”

Annika and Obi-Wan turned to see a man and woman approaching them.

The woman had dark hair that fell to her shoulders, blue eyes and wore a white blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt with heels while the man had brown hair parted on one side with blue eyes and was dressed more casually in a blue button-down with brown pants.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you,” the woman spoke with a distinct accent as she shook Annika’s hand. “I am Agent Vora Arcaina with the Civil Rights Bureau.”

“However, you can simply call it CRB if you wish.”

“Which happens to be what you put a baby in, which is rather accurate of what they have to put up with,” her partner pointed out cheerfully, causing her to glare at him. “Hello, I’m Agent Jazen Sisk with the Intergalactic Anti-Terrorism Division or IATD.”

Obi-Wan tried to hide his smile. “A pleasure to meet you both, though I wish it was under more favourable circumstances.”

Vora’s mouth thinned. “Yes, I agree,” she walked over and picked up the datapad. “This is Senator Aren’s datapad?”

Annika nodded. “Yes, Master Kenobi found it in the drawer of his desk.”

Vora nodded as she scrolled through it, her expression becoming more impassive. “This is quite a sophisticated operation.”

Annika narrowed her eyes. “It sounds like you’re admiring him,” she noted, her tone rather harsh.

“Anna.”

Obi-Wan warned, shooting her a look. His former padawan turned pink in embarrassment. “Forgive me Agent Arcaina, I did not mean any offence.”

Vora smiled softly. “It is alright Senator Skywalker, I assure you that I have nothing but disgust for what Senator Aren has been doing.”

She glanced back at the datapad. “Unfortunately, the use of numbers obscures the identity of the people, which makes them difficult to track using missing persons.”

Obi-Wan let out a heavy sigh, stroking his beard. “How unfortunate that Senator Aren is a politician,” he noted.

Annika raised an eyebrow. “I am also a politician Master Kenobi, are you implying I am the same as Senator Aren?”

She took great amusement in seeing Obi-Wan’s eyes go wide and his cheeks turn pink. “Of course not, my dear, you are far better than Senator Aren.”

Obi-Wan replied, turning up the charm as he smiled at her. Annika’s eyes twinkled. “Thank you for the compliment.”

Vora and Jazen watched the scene with amusement before Vora cleared her throat. “Crime scene droids are currently going through Senator Aren’s computers, we’re hoping they can find some clue as to where he’s keeping the…merchandise.”

She hesitated when saying the last word, clearly disliking using it.

Jazen nodded. “And I’m going to look at that bomb, I have experience with explosives so there may be something there can help us.”

“I can accompany you, Agent Sisk,” Obi-Wan offered. “After all, two sets of eyes are better than one.”

The agent smiled. “I appreciate the help, Master Jedi.”

Obi-Wan smiled back, frowning when he saw Annika looking over her shoulder at something. “Anna?”

She looked at him briefly before redirecting her gaze; he followed her line of sight and felt a sad realisation come over him when he saw what she was looking at.

Oola sitting quietly on a bench, looking at her feet with a solemnness.

“I had to tell her that her sister was sold into slavery,” Annika began, her voice soft. “She had to tell her parents that their daughter was now merchandise to be sold.”

Her voice broke, shaking slightly as Obi-Wan stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “How do you tell someone that? That a person you love will be treated as little more than an object?”

Obi-Wan released a heavy sigh. “It is not an easy thing for anyone to deal with.”

He couldn’t but think of Shmi, a kind woman who did not deserve to be treated as property. Watto may have had affection for her, as Qui-Gon told him, but that did not mean her previous owners felt the same.

Obi-Wan decided that he would speak to the Council about doing more to stop slavery when he got back, the Jedi had done it in the past and it was time for them to do it again.

Annika was unaware of Obi-Wan’s internal monologue as she walked over to Oola, who was staring at something in her hand.

She felt her throat close when she saw it was a holopic of Oola and her sister, who was a lighter shade of blue than her sister and was smiling happily at the camera.

“This was taken when we went on vacation,” Oola said, a small smile forming on her face. “I remember she threw me into the lake and I was _so_ mad at her…”

Annika reached out to take her hand in hers, squeezing softly. “We will get her back Oola,”

The Twi’lek snorted. “We _will_ ,” The blonde Jedi insisted, her tone becoming serious. “I promise you that I will do _everything_ in my power to bring your sister back to you.”

Oola looked up and saw the compassionate look in her eyes, the determination.

She swallowed heavily. “Thank you.”

Annika smiled back before schooling her expression as she stood up, turning to face the group. “Agent Arcaina, is Oola classified as a witness in this case?”

Vora blinked. “No, unless she got a good enough look at the suspect,” she glanced at Oola after saying this, who shook her head. “Which doesn’t seem to be the case.”

Annika bit her lip. “I would like her to be classified as one if that’s not too much trouble.”

Vora raised an eyebrow. “Might I inquire as to why?” Her tone was curious with a bit of suspicion mixed in.

The blonde Jedi sighed, looking over her shoulder. “Because I would like to take her under my protection.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Is that really necessary Anna?”

Annika shot him a look. “Senator Aren is a senator, meaning there is a good chance he has contacts whom could be keeping an eye on things,”

“Which means it’s likely he may have heard that Oola saw someone that resembled him and that could make him nervous.”

Jazen cleared his throat. “I believe Oola said that she couldn’t identify the figure saw, heck she couldn’t even tell their gender.”

“Be that as it may,” Annika began. “There’s a good possibility that Senator Aren doesn’t know that, which means he’ll likely act to get rid of a possible witness.

She chuckled bitterly. “I believe it’s already been proven that he’s willing to do anything to keep himself safe.”

Obi-Wan nodded, bringing his hand up to stroke his beard. “But by classifying Oola as a witness you are, technically, saying that she saw something of importance.”

“Yes, that is true, but then she is a witness under my protection and. if he _were_ to make a move, he would have to go through me at which point he just attacked a representative of the Republic.”

Annika smirked. “I don’t think that would end well for him.”

Jazen and Vora were staring at her in shock, utterly flabbergasted, while Umé and Rabé shared smirks as they were used to this.

Obi-Wan just shook his head, he really shouldn’t be surprised by this as Annika had always been rather clever, evidenced by the various pranks she had pulled over the years.

He could probably blame it on Qui-Gon and/or Dooku (though Yoda wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility) and maybe even himself.

Being around politicians only increased that natural cleverness, it seemed. And her being willing to protect those weaker than her, that was also one of her strongest traits.

Vora cleared her throat, having recovered. “Very well, Senator Skywalker, I shall start the paperwork.”

Her expression became serious. “However, I would like to place some agents to guard you,” she held up her hand. “Not that I think you can’t protect yourself because I have no doubt you are, but because I believe having backup would be useful.”

Annika inclined her head, clearly thinking it over. “Very well, that will be ok.”

She walked over to Oola and explained the situation to her. The girl seemed to be shocked by this as her eyes widened while she asked what seemed to be a lot of questions.

“Well, since you seem to have this under control Lady Vora,” Jazen grinned when the female agent shot him an irritated look. “Master Kenobi and I will go check on how the tech droids are doing.”

Vora rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath as she walked away. Obi-Wan chuckled, turning to look at Jazen.

“You can go on ahead Agent Sisk, there’s something I need to do.”

Jazen blinked, confused but nodded and left the station. Obi-Wan released a heavy sigh before walking over to Rabé and Umé. “Forgive me if this seems a bit overprotective but can you—“

“Look after Annika and make sure she stays out of trouble?” Rabé finished, smirking at him.

Obi-Wan smiled softly. “I’m that obvious huh? I realise she can likely handle anything that might occur but she should have someone looking after her.”

He left it unsaid that it was likely she wouldn’t be entirely rational in her thought process.

“You do not need to worry Master Kenobi,” Umé spoke up, her expression soft. “She will not be alone.”

Obi-Wan nodded his thanks, smiling at the two women and kissing their hands before leaving, his cloak swirling behind him.

Vora walked over. “He worries a lot for his former Padawan, doesn’t he?”

She pointed out, sounding curious. Rabé smiled politely at her.

“He simply knows that Senator Skywalker has a habit of running headfirst into danger and is rightly cautious.”

Vora raised an eyebrow, looking amused at the handmaiden’s obvious attempt to warn her from looking closer at Master Kenobi’s concern for his former padawan.

Shaking her head, she turned to give orders to the two agents who would be acting as Senator Skywalker’s guards, though how useful they would be was debatable.

After all, Annika Skywalker had caused a prison riot. It was safe to say she could take care of herself.

But then, it was those who thought they could take care of themselves that often ended up in trouble, wasn’t it?

* * *

 

_"I can’t believe Senator Aren could do such a thing! Setting off a bomb that killed people? Selling people?”_

Despite the situation, Annika couldn’t help but smile at how outraged Padmé was. “Don’t forget that he killed his wife.

Bail shook his head, his hologram flickering. “I’ve conversed with him on several occasions and never did he even _hint_ that he was capable of something like this.”

Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila sighed. “Unfortunately, corrupt senators are very skilled when it comes to deceiving people about their true nature, as we have learned recently.”

The red-haired senator smiled. “But unfortunately for them, Annika is quite skilled when it comes to learning a person’s true nature and is not easily fooled.”

Annika couldn’t help but flush at the praise. “I’m not sure about that Mothma, I didn’t learn about Senator Aren until people were already dead.”

She pointed out, her tone soft with guilt at her supposed inaction.

Padmé smiled at her friend reassuringly. “Despite your Force sensitivity Anna, you are still just a person, plus didn’t you tell me that you were suspicious of Senator Aren from the start?”

Annika nodded. “Then you shouldn’t blame yourself, you already weren’t fooled by him.”

The blonde Jedi smiled gratefully at the brunette Senator. “Thank you Padmé, your words have soothed me.”

Bail cleared his throat. “On the bright side, these events have made Chancellor Valorum start to pass bills that will ask for stricter enforcement of anti-slavery laws throughout the Republic, especially within the Outer Rim.”

“That’s wonderful!” Padmé explained, her eyes bright with happiness as she looked at Annika. “Isn’t it?”

But Annika wasn’t smiling, in fact, she wore a frown on her face and her brow was wrinkled in concentration. “Will they be helping the former slaves become educated and trained? Will they help to set up a more stable economy for the planets who were built on slavery?”

She inquired, causing Bail to blink. “I’m…not sure,” the man admitted causing Annika to let out a soft sigh.

“Capturing slavers and freeing slaves is one part of the process to end slavery, but what about helping the victims? What about building a new economy not built on slavery?”

Annika took a deep breath to calm herself as she continued. “There are a lot more steps to end slavery, we can’t do one and not the others.”

“You’re right,” Padmé agreed softly. “Simply passing laws and enforcing them will not stop slavery; giving them a voice, a chance and choices are what will stop it.”

“That is what must be done.”

The Naboo senator’s eyes narrowed in concentration as she seemed to think something over in her head.

“Padmé?” Annika asked. Padmé shook her head, smiling reassuringly. “It’s nothing, Annika.”

Bail glanced over his shoulder. “I’m afraid we must end this call as we have a meeting in a few minutes.”

The blonde Jedi nodded. “Then you should probably go, goodbye and thanks, Padmé, for what you said.”

Padmé beamed. “Think nothing of it Anna, goodbye.”

Bail and Mothma also said goodbye before they disappeared, the call ending and their figures vanishing.

Releasing a heavy sigh Annika felt the weight of what had just occurred resting on her shoulders and wanting nothing more than to sleep.

The sound of voices outside made her frown, especially when the voices seemed to grow louder and more commanding.

“Senator Aren put your hands up!”

Her eyes widened as she whipped her head around to see Umé and Rabé making their way over to her, their expressions fierce.

Oola trailed behind them, her eyes narrowed as she seemed to glare at the door. She began stomping over to it, only to be stopped by Annika placing a hand on her shoulder. “No, Oola.”

Annika said firmly. Oola glared at her. “That man sold my _sister_ , I want answers.”

The blonde Jedi sighed. “I know Oola, but we have to remain calm, Senator Aren is here for a reason and we must figure out what that reason is.”

She turned her gaze to the door and Oola stepped back at the fire in Annika’s eyes. “And believe me, he _will_ be answering my questions.”

Oola nodded and Annika opened the door of her room, stepping out to see the two agents that had been posted in front of her room pointing their blasters at Senator Aren who held his hands up.

Walking over she stopped in front of the group, her gaze hard. “Senator Aren, how nice of you to make an appearance,” she commented, her tone anything but pleasant.

Senator Aren didn’t look as put together as he normally did, with his hair and clothes dishevelled and bags under his eyes.

Then again, considering he’s been on the run from the law, he wouldn’t exactly look like a prince.

Looking at her with pleading eyes he spoke quickly. “Anna please—“

“Don’t call me Anna!”

She snapped at him, eyes blazing with anger. “Only my friends can call me that and you are certainly not one of them.”

Aren swallowed heavily. “I understand that you are likely very upset with me…”

Annika snorted. “Upset? _Upset?_ I am _furious_ with you!”

“You have been lying to me and everyone else for who knows how long, tell me, Senator, does the idea of holding the lives of innocent people in your hands _please_ you? Does it make you feel powerful?”

Her tone became angrier and she was struggling to keep her rage in check, running through various meditative chants that she had been taught because she was close to punching Aren.

She expected him to be smug, even proud but instead, he looked broken and defeated with downcast eyes.

“I understand that you have no reason to trust me,” Aren said quietly, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “But I ask that you believe me when I say that I am not involved in this slavery ring-at least, I am not in charge of it.”

Annika wanted to dismiss his words, because they were obviously lies in an attempt to garner sympathy, weren’t they?

But there was a voice in the back of her head, whispering that he might be telling the truth, that he might not be as guilty as they thought and was another victim, perhaps not entirely innocent but a victim still.

She had a choice to make and, as she took a deep breath to calm herself, she still didn’t know if it was the right one.

“Lower your blasters.”

The two agents turned to look at her in disbelief. “Senator Skywalker…”

One of them began to speak but were quieted by her look.

“I am not saying you are not allowed to shoot him if he tries to escape,” she got a deep sense of satisfaction from the terrified expression on the other senator’s face. “But, at the very least, we should hear him out.”

The agents nodded and lowered their blasters, not holstering them but kept them at their sides.

Annika looked at Senator Aren, her expression solemn. “Now Senator Aren,”

“I believe you should start talking _now_ and please, don’t leave out any details.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little update for you guys, but after I post the final part of this chapter I'm going to be writing a lot shorter chapters (shorter for me I mean) as in no new arcs and the reason is, in about *checks calendar* six weeks and seven days I will be moving into rez and then, after labour day, start attending classes!
> 
> So obviously it will be a lot busier with getting everything ready for college and I want to post _something _for you guys but I know I won't be able to do anything really big so yeah that's my compromise.__
> 
>  
> 
> __  
> _But the chapters won't be filler, don't worry, there's a lot of smaller plot points I want to get going so that is what I'm going to do._  
> 


	13. The Great Escape and Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out and the true mastermind is revealed
> 
> Or Annika is just happy there was a somewhat happy ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the final part of the Kumai arc and the last big arc for a while, hope you enjoy!

Obi-Wan entered the crime lab, where the remains of the swoop bike were laid out on the table and two astromech droids were going through it.

Jazen was also going through the wreckage, a pair of safety glasses covering his eyes and white gloves on his hands.

“Agent Sisk,” Obi-Wan greeted pleasantly. “Have you learned anything from all this?”

Jazen snorted, looking up at the Jedi. “Nothing but more questions Master Kenobi.”

“Oh?”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. “Perhaps you could elaborate?”

The brunette agent nodded. “Sure, see these parts?”

He gestured at a pile of wires and mechanical parts. Obi-Wan peered at them, nodding his head. “Yes, what about them?”

Holding up a silver cylinder with a black band wrapped around it Jazen showed it to Obi-Wan. “This is the detonator, highly sophisticated and very difficult to install.”

“I still don’t see what you’re trying to say,” Obi-Wan replied slowly. Jazen let out a heavy sigh.

“I thought Jedi were supposed to be good at seeing what no one else can, you know,” he waved his hands. “Because of the whole connected to the Force thing?”

Obi-Wan felt his mouth twitch with amusement. “The connected to the Force thing does come in handy on occasion,” he stated dryly. “But in this case, it would be better if you could elaborate.”

Jazen grinned at him before his expression became serious. “Senator Aren doesn’t have the technical capability to install something like this,”

“Few people can install this correctly, it’s very sensitive, most people who try to do it wrong and detonate it early causing them to blow up along with whatever they were trying to blow up.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “You’ve seen a lot of this?”

The agent’s expression changed. “Yes, you know terrorists, they love to blow stuff up to send a message.”

He said this in a joking tone but Obi-Wan could see there was a bit of sadness in his eyes.

“Anyways,” Jazen changed the subject and Obi-Wan didn’t try to stop him. “The fact is, I don’t think Senator Aren made this bomb.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “But we found a workstation with bomb blueprints and parts in his office.”

“Ah, but did you?” Jazen raised a finger. “May I direct your attention to what we retrieved from the so-called workshop?”

Looking rather amused the Jedi Master followed the agent over to where another pile of parts was lying on a table. Jazen picked up one of the wires. “See this wire?”

At Obi-Wan’s nod Jazen held the detonator in his other hand and tried to connect the wire but it didn’t work.

Obi-Wan frowned. “Why would Senator Aren have wires that didn’t work with the bomb he planned to use?”

“Exactly, plus,” he handed him a datapad. “If the bomb had been built in that workshop we would have found oil or chemicals commonly used to make a bomb.”

He watched as the Jedi scanned the datapad with a furrow in his brow. “There was nothing, the workshop was clean,” Obi-Wan commented.

Jazen nodded, leaning against the table. “Of course, that doesn’t rule out that he might have built the bomb elsewhere but—“

“—but why would he set up a workshop in a hidden room in his office where anyone could find it if he wasn’t going to use it?” Obi-Wan finished, running a hand down his face.

Nothing about this made sense: the bomb was too sophisticated for Senator Aren to make—unless he was secretly a mechanical genius but surely it would have been mentioned at some point—and the workshop seemed to be staged.

“It seems you were right Agent Sisk,” Obi-Wan commented. “There are more questions.”

“Told you, I—“

He was cut off by the sound of his comm ringing, quickly he dug it out of his pocket and answered. “Hey Vora, what’s…are you serious?”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, he’s still with me…alright, we’ll be over there as soon as we can.”

Jazen ended the call and looked at Obi-Wan with a raised eyebrow. “Apparently Senator Aren showed up where Senator Skywalker was staying.”

Now, Jazen had heard plenty stories about the Jedi were emotionless robots who had something stuck up their butts blah blah blah, personally he never really bought into it.

He did, however, believe that the Jedi were masters (see what he did there?) at hiding their emotions and looking at Obi-Wan the man wasn’t exactly showing any outward emotions.

But Jazen was skilled at dealing with people who were trained from a young age to hide what they felt—you didn’t exactly come across a lot of touchy-feely people in his line of work—so he could see, in the Jedi’s eyes, the smallest hint of worry and fear.

“I see, have they arrested him?” Obi-Wan’s voice, much like his expression, was completely calm.

“Yes, but apparently Senator Skywalker ordered that he not be handcuffed nor should they point their blasters at them though they were not to holster them either.”

“What?” Obi-Wan asked, sounding shocked.

“Yeah, I mean, I know Jedi are pretty big on forgiveness and all but this seems a bit excessive to me.”

Obi-Wan didn’t comment, lost in his own thoughts.

It was true that the Jedi didn’t believe in holding grudges, it was considered to be a path to the dark side. Annika herself, while not necessarily believing in many things the Order taught, generally was quite forgiving to a certain point.

However, considering Senator Aren was linked to a slavery ring, something that was a sore spot for Annika, he found it odd that she would forgive him so quickly.

Unless she didn’t believe that he was truly responsible.

Obi-Wan’s mind whirled, it wasn’t exactly a secret that Annika had strong precognitive abilities. There were many times during her training when she would wake up after having a particularly vivid nightmare and would spend hours talking to Yoda.

The fact that Jedi would leave the temple after she finished talking to Yoda only added to the accuracy of her visions.

Obi-Wan shook his head. “Well then, I believe we may able to find some answers to our questions.”

He left the lab, leaving Jazen standing there. The agent blinked in confusion before shaking his head.

“I’ll never understand Jedi…”

* * *

 

Obi-Wan entered the police station and was immediately greeted by the sight of everyone hurrying around.

He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised, the arrest of their Senator meant a lot of paperwork and ensuring everything went smoothly.

That is if he actually was guilty.

Catching sight of Annika and Vora standing away from the chaos and talking in hushed voices he made his way over. “I heard you asked for Senator Aren to not be handcuffed,”

Annika looked up at him. “Is that you being disappointed with me?”

Obi-Wan shook his head, his mouth turning up in a soft smile. “No, I trust you, Anna, you must have a good reason to not treat him as a criminal.”

She smiled gently at him, letting out a soft sigh as she glanced over her shoulder. Obi-Wan followed her gaze and saw a nervous Aren seated in an interrogation room.

“I can’t explain it, it’s just…certain things about this case don’t add up and I find myself not convinced that Senator Aren is behind all of this.”

“Well, we do have evidence to support that theory,” Obi-Wan said, causing Annika to look at him with confusion. “According to Agent Sisk the detonator used in the bomb was very sophisticated and hard to install, so unless Senator Aren is a mechanical genius—“

“He’s not,” Annika stated, her brow furrowing. “He barely understood me when I was talking about what engine model is better.”

“Plus, the workshop was apparently filled with parts that didn’t work in the bomb, not to mention that there was no evidence any bombs had been made there…it seems like Senator Aren is being set up.”

Letting out a loud sigh Annika turned to look at the senator who was now folding his hands and resting them on the table.

“I guess it’s time to find out the truth about everything.”

Entering the interrogation room with Vora she took the seat directly across from Senator Aren, who looked up as Vora began looking through her datapad.

“Senator Aren, you are aware that you are facing charges of terrorism, first-degree murder and the violation of human rights correct?”

Vora asked, looking up from her datapad. Aren nodded. “Yes, but I am telling you that I am only guilty of participating in the violation of human rights. I did not murder my wife or set off the bomb.”

Vora raised an eyebrow, folding her hands and resting them on the table. “Perhaps you could elaborate?”

The Kumai senator sighed heavily. “Very well, I will tell you everything,” he said in a quiet voice.

Vora and Annika were looking at him expectantly so he cleared his throat and began to speak.

“A few years ago, my wife and I were going through a rough patch, she was displeased with how much my work was keeping me occupied and we fought often,”

Aren swallowed, averting his gaze so he was staring at his hands. “One night we had a particularly bad fight and I stormed out, ended up at a bar.”

“I drank, not to the point where I wasn’t aware of my choices but I was pretty buzzed.”

Annika wrinkled her nose. “So, you went on a bender, I fail to see how this relates to you participating in slavery.”

 Aren chuckled bitterly. “It has everything to do with it.”

Clearing his throat, he resumed telling the story. “I was approached by an attractive woman, she was young—but still legal,” he hurried to say, catching the looks of the two women.

“She sat next to me and I ordered her a drink, we talked and one thing led to another and…the next thing I knew, I was waking up next to her and we were both wearing no clothes.”

He could feel their judging gazes on him. “I left immediately, didn’t even leave my name and when I got home Celessa was so happy to see me that we made up and I forgot about it.”

“Then Castan Daivan came to see me.”

“Castan Daivan?” Vora repeated, raising an eyebrow. “What does he have to do with this?”

Aren gave a self-deprecating smile. “At first it was a pleasant conversation, discussing the finer details of the annual swoop bike race,” his smile became weaker. “Then he showed me the photos.”

“Photos?” Annika asked, even though she already suspected what the photos were of.

“Photos of me in bed with the woman from the bar, as it turns out, she was one of his.”

There were a few minutes of silence until Vora spoke. “Senator Aren, are you saying that Castan Daivan is, in fact, in charge of this slavery ring?”

Aren nodded. “Yes, he made that clear to me when he began talking about how, unless I helped him conceal his more illicit activities, he would publish the photos which would not only end my marriage but ruin my reputation and career.”

_It is amazing how far a politician will go to keep their reputation._

Annika thought, the voice sounding suspiciously like Obi-Wan as she continued listening.

“So, what exactly did you do for Mr Daivan?” Vora inquired, bringing out her datapad to take notes.

“I would look away from what he was doing, and would keep other people from looking too closely at his activities.”

Aren’s tone was that of despair as if he couldn’t bear what he had done. Vora was inclined to believe him since all their evidence against him didn’t add up, but she’d still need to check.

“There was a datapad in your drawer that was a log of the people being sold.” She watched him nod. “Yes, it was lying on Daivan’s desk during our last meeting and I took it, if you trace it I’m sure it will lead back to him.”

“Of course,” Vora made a gesture at the security camera in the room before turning back to face the senator. “Given all of this information, it seems that you aren’t guilty of running a slavery operation, but there’s still one question left.”

Annika blinked when the dark-haired agent looked expectantly at her. Clearing her throat, she straightened up and stared Aren down. “Why did you ask me to come?”

The senator didn’t back down from her intense gaze, meeting her head down. “Because, when I heard about how you listened to the people of Jallacom and helped them, I knew you were the only one who would listen to me.”

“How could you possibly know?” Annika demanded, clenching her hands tightly. “What if I hadn’t believed you?”

“That was a possibility,” Aren agreed. “Especially since you seem to have a personal connection to this type of case.”

The blonde Jedi tensed at his words. “But, despite your feelings, you were able to overcome them and listen to me.”

“That, Senator Skywalker, is why I invited you: because I needed someone with a strong sense of justice who would do whatever it takes to do the right thing.”

No one spoke after this statement, the air in the room seeming to thicken to the point it became suffocating until Vora cleared the air with a cough.

“Well then, perhaps it is time we take down Castan Daivan once and for all.”

Annika turned to look at her, her eyes glittering as she spoke in a clear and determined tone.

“Yes, let’s do this.”

* * *

 

“I want to come.”

Annika couldn’t help but sigh at the familiar statement, turning to face a determined looking Oola. “Oola, it’s too dangerous.”

Obi-Wan, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but agree.

Considering they were about to launch a raid on a warehouse where Castan Daivan had been keeping his “merchandise”, which was likely heavily guarded, dangerous was a bit of an understatement.

After Senator Aren’s confession, they had been able to trace the datapad back to the race coordinator and found another datapad with dates of when he was meeting with “sponsors” that lined up with the dates when people in the log were sold they had enough evidence to arrest him.

They also found the blaster that had been used to kill Celessa Aren and the workshop where the bomb had been built.

“My sister is probably in that warehouse; can you honestly say that you would be able to stay behind if it was your sister?”

Oola demanded, staring her down.

Annika went quiet, knowing that Oola was right, that if it was Padmé or Darra or one of her handmaidens in a similar situation she wouldn’t be able to stay behind and wait for someone else to rescue them.

She looked over her shoulder at Obi-Wan who smiled softly at her, nodding his head to show that he trusted her to make the call.

Turning back to face an eager-looking Oola she sighed. “Very well, you can come but,” she added, giving Oola a look. “You must listen to what I say.”

Oola nodded her head rapidly. “Understood.”

Aren chose that moment to make his appearance, causing Oola to step back and eye him cautiously. Despite the fact it was proven that he wasn’t, in fact, in charge of the slavery ring she was still very suspicious of him.

“I received a message from Castan,” he said, looking rather pale. “He has asked me to meet him in his warehouse.”

“The same warehouse we plan to raid?” Vora asked, frowning when he nodded.

“It’s possible he heard about our plan and decided to tie up his loose ends,” Obi-Wan pointed out, causing Aren to turn even whiter.

“So, what should I do?” Aren questioned. “If I don’t reply back, he may figure out something is up and leave.”

Annika wrinkled her brow in concentration as she tried to figure something out. A lightbulb went off in her head. “You agree to the meeting.”

Everyone stared at her as if they thought she was crazy. “Anna…” Obi-Wan began, only to stop when she shook her head.

“If Senator Aren agrees to the meeting then Castan will be under the impression that everything is okay, which means he will let his guard down,”

Seeing she had everyone’s attention Annika continued. “Which means it will be a lot easier for a small team to sneak in and start rescuing everyone who is imprisoned.”

Vora nodded. “I think I understand, but who will be the team?”

Here Annika smiled. “Me, my handmaidens and Oola—if she is agreeable,” she added, looking at the Twi’lek who enthusiastically nodded her head.

But Obi-Wan shook his head. “I don’t like this plan, not that I don’t have faith in your handmaidens,” he hurried to say, catching the looks on the women’s faces. “But Oola has no experience in fighting.”

“I would like to join your team.”

He watched his former padawan think over his offer in her head before nodding. “Very well, the team will be me, my handmaidens, Oola and Obi-Wan.”

She looked over at Senator Aren. “However, the question is if you’re willing to do this, it is your life on the line after all.”

The Kumai senator seemed conflicted, which was understandable: he would be walking into a dangerous situation.

Him refusing was very understandable.

“Yes,” he finally said. “I am going to do this, it’s the only way I’ll be able to clear my conscience.”

Annika’s mouth stretched into a small smile, her eyes twinkling as she nodded.

“Then let’s do this.”

* * *

 

Annika was never a big fan of waiting around, she much preferred taking action and just doing something _useful_.

So, she was bored waiting for Castan Daivan to show up for the meeting. So was Oola, apparently.

“Why are we just sitting here?” Oola whispered harshly, fidgeting nervously. “Shouldn’t we start trying to find where everyone is being kept?”

“If we move now,” Obi-Wan explained in a quiet voice. “and Castan shows up, we could end up caught.”

Oola nodded slowly and returned to sitting silently. Eventually, Castan did show up with two rather large men wielding blasters.

“Show time,” Rabé whispered as the team began moving, quietly ducking into the shadows and making their way towards the back of the warehouse where the people likely were.

They were also able to hear parts of the conversation between Aren and Castan.

“…You certainly took your sweet time getting here…” Annika heard Aren remark dryly and Castan let out a laugh.

“I had to ensure the police, and especially those nosy Jedi weren’t following me.”

He sounded irritated as if having to follow the law was such an inconvenience for him. It made Annika grit her teeth in anger.

She felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder and turned to see Obi-Wan giving her an understanding look.

“He will not get away with it Anna,” Obi-Wan assured her and she smiled gratefully at him.

Turning her attention back to the matter at hand she used the Force to unlock the door leading into the backroom of the warehouse, she gestured for the others to follow her and they tiptoed quietly into the room.

Umé felt around the wall for a few minutes until she managed to turn on the light, slowly lighting up the whole room.

If only they knew what was awaiting them…

“My God…” Obi-Wan whispered, eyes widening as he took in the scene before him.

Thousands of cages meant for animals filled the room, stacked on top of each other and pushed against the walls, in each cage there seemed to be at least _twenty_ people huddled together and shivering.

There was a strong, putrid smell and the air seemed dirty, not just from the smell but from the complete lack of human decency being displayed.

“How…How many people are in here?” Rabé asked as she began slowly walking down the aisle, her expression becoming more and more horrified at what she saw.

“A hundred, maybe a thousand,” Obi-Wan replied, covering his mouth with his hand.

Oola was immediately running, calling out her sister’s name as she began checking the cages, frantically trying to find her sister amid all the chaos.

“Kinsa!”

She called out frantically, running towards a cage located towards the back. A light blue Twi’lek looked up, her lekkus twitching and her eyes lighting up as she moved towards the front of the cage.

“Oola!” She exclaimed, reaching through the bars to grab her sister’s hands with her own. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to find you,” Oola explained, a teary smile on her face that was mirrored on her sister’s. “We’re here to free you.”

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement, stepping forward. “We are here to free _all_ of you.” He declared, causing excited and nervous whispers to begun amongst the trapped people.

Suddenly the back door slid upwards, causing the people to begin whispering in frightened tones while Annika and Obi-Wan ignited their lightsabers and Rabé and Umé pulled out their blasters. Oola clung tightly to her sister.

They let out a breath of relief when they saw Jazen standing with a team of police officers, who were staring at what was before them.

“God, I knew he had to have a big operation, but to see it firsthand…” Jazen whispered as he glanced around.

Shaking his head, he began issuing orders to the police officers who began unlocking the cages and helping the people out.

Annika looked up from where she was helping two sisters, both no more than ten galactic standard years, to see Oola and Kinsa warmly embracing each other with happy tears streaming down their faces.

She locked gazes with Obi-Wan, who was helping a mother with her young child, and the two shared a smile at the fact they had been able to do this.

_“What is going on here?!”_

Her head snapped up and she saw Castan Daivan standing with a red face. Senator Aren stood next to him, looking both worried and guilty.

“Castan Daivan, by the authority of the Republic, you are hereby under arrest for violating Republic law,” Annika declared as she stepped forward. “Surrender now.”

Castan’s mouth twisted into a bitter smile. “Oh, that sounds lovely…but unfortunately, not very useful to me!”

“Guards, stop them!”

Castan’s guards complied, firing off their blasters which caused the freed people to scream and take cover. The law enforcement officers were scrambling to both return fire and get the people out to safety.

Annika raised her hand to create an invisible Force barrier that deflected the blaster shots and shielded the people, she saw Obi-Wan ignite his lightsaber and use it to also deflect the blaster shots.

“We need to get them out of here!”

She said and Jazen nodded, gesturing to the officers to continue escorting the people out of the warehouse. Annika turned her head and saw Castan escaping out of a side door and Aren following him.

Moving to follow them she heard Rabé let out a shout of warning and quickly turned her head just in time to see Obi-Wan turn and get hit in the chest with two blaster bolts, letting out a groan as he hit the ground.

“Obi-Wan!”

She cried out, starting to run towards him but was stopped by him shaking his head. “Anna, go after Castan and Senator Aren, I’ll be fine.”

She hesitated and Rabé nodded at her, giving her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry m’lady, we’ll stay with him.”

Seeing for herself that Obi-Wan was in good hands she turned and ran out the door, catching sight of Castan running down a flight of stairs with Aren close behind.

She took off after them, coming to a complete stop when she saw Castan lying on the floor with his hands in front of him and Aren pointing a blaster at him with shaky hands.

“Aren,” Annika said as she slowly approached him, stopping when he turned to look at her with wide eyes. “You don’t want to do this.”

He laughed bitterly. “Don’t I?”

Turning to face Castan, who now looked ready to pee his pants in sheer terror, Aren spoke harshly. “He blackmailed me, forced me to go along with his twisted whims, ruined my reputation, _killed my wife_ …”

He broke off, his voice shaky. “Am I supposed to let that go unpunished?”

“No,” He turned to see Annika shaking her head. “No, you shouldn’t, wanting to hurt and punish the people who treated you so horribly is a natural feeling.”

She took a deep breath. “But killing will not solve anything, it won’t make the ache in your chest go away,”

“You’ll end up in prison, he won’t face the actions for the crimes he has committed and all of the people out there, Celessa? They _won’t_ get justice.”

“Tell me Aren,” Annika asked in a soft voice. “Who really wins in that situation? You, or him?”

 Aren hesitated, starting to lower his blaster and she took another careful step towards him. “I knew Celessa, and I know she wouldn’t want this for you.”

Finally, the senator let out a heavy sigh and completely lowered his arm, holding it out to Annika who took it, giving her a small grateful smile.

Castan, seeing his chance, slowly pulled out the blaster he had kept hidden in his pant leg. All he needed to do was kill Annika, then shoot Aren and make it look like _he_ did it and—

He didn’t get to finish his train of thought because there was a now a lightsaber at his throat. “I strongly recommend you put the blaster down Castan, this was never going to go in your favor.”

Annika remarked coldly, staring him down with her blue gaze and watching as he slowly followed her advice.

“Let me make one thing clear Castan,” she began, her tone as cold as her eyes. “I did not spare your life because it was the “Jedi” thing to do: I spared it because death is not a punishment for you, it is an _escape_.”

“I want to see the look in your eyes when you have your day in court and realize you aren’t going to charm your way out of prison, I want to see the realization set in when you realize all of your assets have been frozen and you have nothing left.”

His expression became paler and paler as Annika continued speaking. “I want you to sit in prison, in those horrible conditions that are so _very_ different from the life of luxury you have been used to and like the way you treated the people who you sold—as if their lives meant _nothing_ —for the rest of your life.”

By now Castan was reduced to a shivering, snivelling coward who was close to begging for mercy but he would find none, not from Annika, not from Aren, he could find no one willing to take pity on him.

The man who was once so respected, who had lived in a lap of luxury, was reduced to being a reviled and despised man with nothing to his name.

And quite frankly, no one felt sorry about it.

* * *

 

Annika watched with a dark expression as Castan was loaded into the back of a police speeder in handcuffs, his head downcast and his entire body shaking.

“Probably unable to comprehend how quickly everything crumbled around him,” Vora commented as Annika turned to face her.

“Have you found everyone involved in his organization?” She asked and Vora sighed. “We’re going through his computers now, we’ve managed to find a lot of his clients; he apparently blackmailed a lot more people than just Senator Aren as well.”

“Which means that we now have to coordinate with various other sectors and planets to arrest all of them, that is, if they haven’t already been alerted and are on the run, plus with the fact that there could be more smaller operations connected to this…”

“Means it could take months, if not years to completely dismantle the organization.” Annika finished, her tone quiet.

Vora nodded. “Yes, exactly.”

Annika let out a heavy sigh, glancing around to see the people who had been rescued: so many people who would have to get readjusted to normal life, who knows how long many of them had been enslaved?

“Senator Skywalker?”

Blinking she turned to see Oola and Kinsa approaching her. Vora said her goodbyes and turned to go speak to one of her agents.

“Oola, Kinsa, do you need transportation to get home?” She asked. Kinsa shook her head. “No, our parents are coming to get us.”

Annika smiled, letting out a small _oof_ as she was pulled into a hug by the two girls. “What was that for?”

She wondered, smiling softly. “During my imprisonment, I believed no one would find me or was even looking for me,” Kinsa explained quietly. “I just wanted to thank you for giving me hope that there are still good people in this galaxy.”

Feeling tears well up in her eyes Annika pulled the girls in for another hug, fighting the urge to cry.

“Oola! Kinsa!”

She turned to see two Twi’leks waving frantically and watched as Oola and Kinsa ran to them, clearly happy to see them.

The family embraced each other, laughing and sobbing as they held each other close. It wouldn’t be an easy journey for them. Kinsa was undoubtedly scarred by her experience, she would need help and love.

But with her family by her side, she would come out the other side.

Annika immediately began moving when she caught sight of Rabé and Umé standing by Obi-Wan. “How is he?”

“He’s going to be in a lot of pain and will need a lot of rest but,” Umé smiled. “He’ll be fine.”

Laughing Annika looked down at a pale-looking Obi-Wan with a gentle expression. “Healer Che will be happy to see you again.”

Obi-Wan made a face. “Yes, I believe I’m in for a lecture when I get back,” he sighed. “And a long stay in the Hall of Healing.”

He suddenly looked at Annika with a charming smile. “Anna, I don’t suppose—“

 “No, Obi-Wan, I am _not_ incurring Healer Che’s wrath.”

She remarked dryly, causing him to raise an eyebrow at her. “Considering how often she’s yelled at you for sneaking out when you were injured, I find that rather ironic.”

“That is exactly why I won’t help you: I’ve angered her enough, why should I do it when I don’t need to?”

Obi-Wan chuckled, causing him to wince in pain and Annika reached out to take his hand, squeezing it gently.

Taking a quick look around she frowned when she saw Senator Aren being handcuffed. The senator looked up and gave her a small smile before turning away.

“Since he did help us out and wasn’t necessarily involved in all the illegal activities he’s getting a lesser sentence,” Jazen explained as he approached. “But he is being charged for helping cover up the activities, and he’ll likely never work in politics again.”

“He may get out on good behavior, though, so that’s something.”

Annika nodded, not really listening as she watched Aren trying to hide his face from the cameras going off in his face as he was led to a police speeder, wincing when she heard some of the words being fired at him.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be as hated as Castan Daivan, but it was clear some people would still hate him for what he did.

But he was remorseful of his actions, it would take a while, but if he tried to make amends he may make something out of himself again and earn back people’s respect.

“Onto something slightly less depressing—well, kind of,” Jazen brought out a datapad. “We were going through the security footage in Castan’s home—hoping to maybe find some of the people involved with him—and we found…well, take a look.”

The group watched the video start to play, Castan was standing behind his desk arguing with the person across from him, who was hidden from the camera in a dark cloak.

“This is from two days ago?” Obi-Wan asked, taking note of the timestamp. Jazen nodded. “Yeah, right before you two arrived.”

The figure and Castan continued arguing, the figure slowly raised his hand and suddenly Castan put a hand to his throat as if he couldn’t breathe. Annika shared a quick look with Obi-Wan.

_A force choke?_

She asked through their bond and he responded, _it looks like it…_

Jazen paused the video, pointing at the figure. “Now, it’s possible my mind’s playing trick on me—I have been going without sleep for three days straight—but is that a lightsaber?”

Annika and Obi-Wan leaned closer and saw, to their dread, that there was indeed a lightsaber clipped to the figure’s belt and both knew they were staring at the Sith Lord’s new apprentice.

Jazen cleared his throat, seemingly choosing his words carefully. “I apologize for having to ask this, especially since you both have done much to assist us—heck, you even got _shot_ Master Kenobi—but given the evidence that Castan has blackmailed a lot of really powerful people—“

“No,” Obi-Wan said, realizing what Jazen was very delicately trying to ask. “This person is not a Jedi, Agent Sisk, I can assure you.”

Jazen let out a sigh of relief, probably happy that there wasn’t a corrupt Jedi running around—although the person who _was_ running loose wasn’t much better.

“That’s…that’s a relief, although that does make me wonder where this person got a lightsaber, well I suppose we can always ask them when we find them—“

“Agent Sisk,” Annika interrupted him. “Do not take this as me trying to impede your investigation, but I must recommend you not pursue this person,”

“The Jedi will handle him.”

The agent frowned, furrowing his eyebrows until a smirk crossed his face. “Let me guess, this is one of those “if I tell you, then I’ll have to kill you” situations?”

Annika couldn’t help but chuckle. “We won’t kill you, but we do have to keep this rather secret so…” she trailed off and Jazen grinned, miming zipping his mouth. “Your secret is safe with me Senator Skywalker.”

She laughed again and watched him walk away with a smile on her face. The smile vanished as she turned to see Obi-Wan looking quite serious.

“It would appear the Sith have a hand in this,” she whispered, low enough that her handmaidens, who were standing a few feet away, couldn’t hear the conversation.

Obi-Wan sighed, his gaze intense as he met hers. “Yes, it would appear so.”

A few feet away, hidden in the shadow of the trees, stood a figure who watched the scene before him with casual disinterest.

His master would not be pleased that another of his plans fell through and it was likely his services would be called upon to dispose of the loose ends.

His gaze wandered, briefly paying attention to Kenobi’s former padawan before it landed on the man itself. A deep burning hatred rose in his chest and his eyes narrowed as he resisted the urge to snarl.

“Kenobi,” his voice was low and almost animalistic in its tone. “Enjoy the time you have, for soon it will be gone.”

He slunk back into the shadows, becoming one with them as he became undetectable, or at least he thought.

Feeling a dark presence Annika raised her head slowly, narrowing her eyes as she scanned the area but saw nothing.

“M’lady, is something wrong?”

Annika shook her head, a smile on her face as she returned her attention back to her handmaiden.

“No, everything’s just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was quite a twist, wasn't it? Senator Aren wasn't behind the slavery ring, Castan gets arrested and it seems the Sith had a hand in all of this. And Obi-Wan is going to be tortured in the Halls of Healing XD
> 
> Also, a little random piece of knowledge, I imagine Jazen to be played by Nathan Fillion (did I mention I was a Castle fan?) and Vora as Eva Green.


	14. A Fight for Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the wake of what happened on Kumai, Padme and Annika decide to do something about it.
> 
> Or Padme and Annika being proactive, Obi-Wan being encouraging and Palpatine disapproving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter isn't exactly short length-wise, but the content itself is very simple, I suppose is the right word, merely setting up a recurring theme throughout the story which is Annika trying to fulfill her promise to her mother.

“Anna?”

Annika looked up, hearing Padmé call out for her. “In my office,” she replied and the door opened to reveal the eager brunette senator.

Annika’s home office wasn’t as big as her office at the rotunda but it was still very spacious, the color scheme was different shades of purple with a desk in the centre of the room and a large wall with windows directly behind her with two chairs in front of the desk.

Given that Annika didn’t like to sit around she rarely used it, much preferring to do her work in the living room or outside, but today she had a lot of emails to sift through so here she was.

“Padmé, what can I do for you?” Annika asked with a warm smile. Padmé took a deep breath before speaking.

“You know that Castan was sentenced, right?”

Annika’s smile faltered. “Yes, he will be spending the rest of his life in prison I hear.”

She had been following the trials, as had many people; Aren had been given a lesser sentence with the possibility of parole and would be put into a separate prison than Castan.

“It’s been getting me thinking, about what you said and about how many other people could be involved in slavery,” Padmé continued, starting to pace. “Chancellor Valorum and many other senators are trying to pass bills that call for stricter enforcement of the Republic’s anti-slavery laws, which is good,”

“But, like you said, there is still the matter that the people we rescue will need help to readjust to normal lives and to deal with what happened with them, to say nothing of the planets whose entire economy runs on such activity.”

She took a deep breath. “The Senate is starting to make changes, but it still isn’t in the position to provide these people with the assistance they need.”

 “Where are you going with this Padmé?”

Annika asked slowly, recognizing the look in her friend’s eyes: it was a look that said _I have a plan, I’m going to do this plan and nothing is going to stop me_.

“Fight for Freedom,” Padmé stated, causing her friend to give her a blank look. “It’s the name of a non-profit organization that will combat slavery on _all_ fronts.’

“It will help law enforcement in providing intelligence on slavery operations, rescuing victims and assisting in prosecutions but it will also create programs designed to help the victims and their families get adjusted, receive education in addition to helping identify slavery where it happens and informing others of it through the use of media to prevent it from happening.”

“I’ve never heard of such an organization before,” Annika commented, wrinkling her nose. Padmé smiled softly. “That’s because I just created it.”

Annika felt her eyes widen in shock. “You…created it?”

Padmé nodded. “Yes, and I would like your help.”

Seeing Annika’s confused expression Padmé explained. “No one knows the personal impact of this more than you, you are a living example that you _can_ get out of slavery and make something of yourself.”

“I would _never_ force you to talk about your story if it makes you uncomfortable, but your help would be much appreciated.”

Padmé finished, staring at her friend with a nervous expression as the woman thought it over in her mind.

A smile formed on Annika’s face and she nodded. “I’ll do it, this is something I need to do.”

Returning the smile, the Naboo senator began talking about what her plans were, asking her friend questions such as what programs should be created, what kind of therapy would be beneficial etc.

Annika answered all the questions without struggle and even suggested they talk to her mother to get her input.

The two women had a plan: one that would undoubtly shake up the Senate and the Republic.

* * *

 

“Anna, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

Annika smiled at the brunette woman making her way over, who looked rather haggled. “It’s nice to see you as well Lya, though by your expression I’m assuming you haven’t slept in days?”

Lya Niachei was a yearmate of Annika’s who had chosen to become a healer: she had plenty of practice, having been the one to fix Annika, Ferus, Darra and Tru’s injuries whenever they had gotten into trouble that they didn’t want their masters to know about.

Lya released a heavy sigh. “You know, I always wondered where you got your fear of the Halls of Healing,” she smirked. “Not so much of a mystery anymore.”

Annika figured out what she was talking about pretty quickly. “I’m assuming Obi-Wan is giving you trouble?”

The brunette healer rolled her eyes. “He’s tried to break out twice, and failed at charming a healer to let him go early; the only reason he’s behaving is because Healer Che threatened to sit on him.”

Annika couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth. “Is he forbidden from having visitors because of his escape attempts?”

Lya shook her head, gesturing with her hand. “No, go ahead.”

Annika bowed to her before entering the main hall, where she was immediately met with the sight of Chief Healer Vokara Che scolding her former master with her hands on her hips.

“Healer Che, I assure you that I am perfectly fine and am able to be discharged—“

“Really? Then why are you wincing Master Kenobi?”

Annika frowned as she approached. “Master, if you are still injured, then you should rest, after all, isn’t that what you’re always telling me?”

Obi-Wan blinked. “W-Well…” he stammered, feeling his cheeks turn pink as his former padawan raised an eyebrow at him.

“Or does that only apply to me and not to you?”

She questioned, smirking as her former master flailed for an answer, his cheeks turning redder in embarrassment.

Vokara’s mouth twitched. “I see your former padawan is more than capable of keeping you in check, so I shall go check on my other patients.”

Watching as the healer walked away Annika turned her attention back to Obi-Wan whose cheeks were still flushed.

“I see being around Senators have made you more argumentative,”

Obi-Wan remarked dryly, his lips twitching in amusement. His former padawan snorted as she sat down beside him. “Was I ever not?”

“No, I suppose you weren’t,” he responded, laughing slightly before wincing causing Annika to give him a worried look. “Do I need to go get Master Che—?”

“No,” Obi-Wan stopped her by placing his hand on top of hers. “I’m fine, really, I’m just not as young as I used to be.”

Annika raised an eyebrow. “Are you calling yourself old? Because you’re not, compared to Qui-Gon and Dooku you’re in the peak of health.”

He chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “I’m sure they would appreciate that very much,” he said in a teasing tone, grinning when he saw Annika flush before glaring at him.

“I can always call Master Che back over here,” she threatened in a half-serious voice, smiling softly.

Obi-Wan took notice of his former padawan’s body language, the way she was picking her nails was a nervous habit of hers since she was young.

“Anna, my dear, is something troubling you?”

She opened her mouth to say no but shut it, hesitating before she pulled out a datapad and handed it to Obi-Wan who took it and began reading it with a confused expression.

Annika watched him read it with a nervous expression, seeing his eyes go soft with understanding and his mouth turn up in a gentle smile as he turned to look at her.

“Fight for Freedom is an apt name for this organization,” he commented quietly as he handed back the datapad.

He watched his former padawan let out a nervous laugh. “Yes, well, I didn’t come up with it Padmé did, but it fits what the organization does pretty well so I saw no need to change it and—“

She stopped, flushing when she realized she was babbling and taking a deep breath to calm herself.

“Padmé approached me,” she began, speaking more calmly. Seeing Obi-Wan listening intently she continued. “She explained the idea and asked if I would be willing to help her, and I couldn’t, I mean, I wanted to—“

“—you’ve been wanting to do something like this for a long time.” Obi-Wan finished, knowing his former padawan all too well.

He knew the idea of people still being stuck in slavery bothered her and how she wanted to get them out: it had been a point of conflict between her and the Council due to how their ability to stop slavers was being stopped because of their ties to the Senate.

Annika looked over her shoulder, trying to hide her blush. Obi-Wan smiled softly at her, reaching out to take her hand in his.

She turned her head to look at him as he spoke. “It’s a good thing you’re doing Anna, no one knows the reality of slavery better than you.”

His mouth twitched. “You have always been one to take action, my dear, and this is a positive action.”

Chuckling Annika squeezed his hand, watching him squeeze back. “The Council will also support you.”

 “Really?”

She questioned, blinking in confusion as Obi-Wan nodded. “In order to continue to serve the Republic effectively, we’ve realized we had to make a few changes.”

He conveniently left out the part where _he_ had been the one to point out how complacent the Order had become, something that many Council Members had realized as well.

The Jedi had reformed itself back during the Ruusan Reformation to tie itself closely to the Senate and show the Republic it wasn’t a threat, but in the process, had diluted its effectiveness.

Now the Senate was changing, going through a reform brought on by Annika, and the Jedi had to adapt.

Personally, Obi-Wan thought as he listened to Annika explain the details of the organization with an excited look in her eyes, it was a change he found welcome.

* * *

 

“My fellow Senators, what has happened in the last few days has no doubt shaken all of us,”

Annika addressed the Senate, standing calm and proud as she faced them, her hair pulled back and piled on top of her head and wearing a simple yet elegant dress.

The top of her dress was olive green with the skirt and cut outs on the sleeves were gold; the shoulders, neckline and waist were decorated in white and green embellishments and a statement choker collar attached to the dress was around her neck.

“We saw a man who saw people as property, not as individuals who have hopes, dreams and fears but as something to put a price on.”

She paused, taking in everyone’s expressions. “This _cannot_ be allowed to continue,” she spoke in a firm voice, loud and powerful. “We _must_ show such people that no one can be owned, can be sold without so much as a thought.”

“Everyone is equal, and it is our duty to stop those who would try and take away that right!”

Sounds of agreements rose around her and she caught sight of Bail, Padmé and Mon Mothma smiling encouragingly at her.

“But at the same time, we cannot forget those who have suffered,” Annika continued in a softer tone. “In our quest for justice we must show compassion and understanding to the victims, help them and their families rebuild their lives.”

“That is what Fight for Freedom will do: not only help in stopping slavery operations and preventing it from happening but also rehabilitate the people affected so they can overcome the trauma they have experienced.”

She nodded at Padmé, who stood as her pod moved to the center and began speaking.

“My fellow Senators, there _are_ people in the world who show cruelty to those they believe inferior,” she paused, her mouth turning up in a sharp smile. “We must show them that in fact, _they_ are the weak ones and fight against them in whatever way we can,”

Her smile softened and her eyes became gentler as she spoke.

“I ask that you support this organization, not because I started it, but because even the smallest action can change someone’s life.”

She finished speaking and a roar of applause sounded as senators stood up and began clapping loudly to show their support.

The session concluded with Valorum announcing his support for the organization and praising Padmé and Annika for their efforts causing the two women to blush.

“You both did wonderfully,” Mothma said warmly as she and Bail greeted the two women outside.

“Thank you, Mon,” Padmé replied which Annika echoed. “Your support means everything to us.”

“Unfortunately, it would seem not everyone is appreciative of your efforts,” the Alderann senator commented as he eyed a group of senators talking in hushed whispers and shooting them dirty looks.

Annika sighed. “I am sure they believe our efforts are not important, especially if the money we receive is money they wanted.”

The one thing Annika learned working in the Senate is that there were people who would only do something if they got a profit out of it: it disgusted her that such people existed but they did.

“But that is their opinion,” she stated, her voice slightly higher to catch their attention. “and it is an opinion I do not share.”

“I am not afraid to fight for what I believe is right: it is a long and difficult fight, but it is the _only_ fight worth winning.”

The senators, who had been listening, turned red and looked away, scolded by her harsh words subtly directed at them.

Bail chuckled. “When you first became the Jedi Senator many thought you would fail because you weren’t trained in politics, how wrong they were,”

“Because you reminded us of something we forgot long ago: our duty is to fight for our people, no matter the consequences.”

Annika flushed, shaking her head with a smile as she turned to face a group of senators who wanted to know a bit more about Fight for Freedom with Padmé.

Off to the side, the two women were unaware of Vice-Chair Palpatine narrowing his eyes at them as he wondered how he had failed to foresee _this_.

Senator Amidala is a troubling influence on young Anna, he thought to himself, one that will have to be eliminated soon.

Yes, the former Queen was a thorn in his side for sure, but a thorn that could be _easily_ removed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Palpy ain't too happy with what Padme and Anna are doing...
> 
> A few things of note: Fight for Freedom is based upon multiple ideas within fanfiction that Padme and/or Anakin start an anti-slavery organization, in fact I believe there's a tag on Tumblr based around this very idea called the Freedom Front, however the stuff about helping to rehabilitate the former victims of slavery was specifically inspired by Hope for Justice, an organization which strives to end modern day slavery in the UK, US, Cambodia and Norway. 
> 
> On a completely _different _note, I edited part of this chapter while a thunderstorm was going on outside, the joy of living in the Canadian prairies...__


	15. A Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika and Obi-Wan attend a fundraising gala for Fight to Freedom; it's certainly an interesting night
> 
> Or Annika subtly insults a senator, reunites with Agent Pryde and Sisk and dances with Obi-Wan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a lot longer than I expected...hopefully you enjoy it?

“M’lady, this is going to take a lot longer if you don’t stop _fidgeting_.”

Annika couldn’t help but smile at how frustrated Rabé sounded, turning her head carefully. “I’m sorry.”

Rabé smiled back at her and returned to putting the pins in her hair while she turned back to face her mirror, feeling worry rise in her chest once again.

She and Padmé had arranged this fundraiser for Fight for Freedom, needing to raise money to help build the programs and centres they needed.

They would have to talk to various politicians and business people, talking up their organization and hope they would give them the funds they needed.

Everything hinged on them and their presentation and Annika was so scared she would mess things up.

Trying to calm herself she looked at herself in the mirror, admiring the dress Rabé had picked out: it was made of blue shimmery silk with the back dipping into a butterfly shape that revealed the top of her back and continuing to the ground.

Her hair was curled and pinned up in a side bun with a white and blue jewelled clip that Rabé was adding the final touches to.

“There,” Rabé exclaimed, sounding pleased with herself as she stepped back to admire her work. “All done.”

Annika stood, feeling the fabric shift as she moved. Eirtaé stood off to the side and made a motion with her finger, asking Annika to turn around which she did.

Her mouth turned up in a smile. “You look stunning m’lady, you will surely impress everyone at the gala.”

The blonde Jedi blushed, a soft smile on her face. “Thank you Eirtaé.”

The three women turned to see Saché enter the room, a smirk appeared on her face when she saw Annika.

“M’lady, I dare say Master Kenobi will be speechless when he sees you; he’s waiting outside.”

Annika felt her cheeks turn redder, she had forgotten that Obi-Wan had volunteered to escort her to the gala.

What would he think when he saw her? Not that he hadn’t seen her dressed up before, and even if he did, why would it matter to her what he thought?

She shook her head to erase her thoughts, taking a deep breath before she exited her bedroom and came face to face with Obi-Wan looking out the window at the cityscape.

Turning his head slightly the revered Jedi found himself frozen in place as he took in his former padawan, a part of him still having trouble with the fact the woman standing before him was the same little girl he had known for so long.

The two stared at each other, the silence making Annika nervous. “Do I look so bad that you can’t find any words?”

She spoke in a teasing tone but the worry was hidden underneath and Obi-Wan wanted to erase her fears.

“No,” Obi-Wan said, shaking his head and smiling as he stepped closer, bringing her hand up to kiss. “You look absolutely stunning.”

“I have no doubt everyone’s eyes will be on you.”

Annika felt her cheeks heat as a small smile appeared on her face. “Always a master with words,” she remarked dryly causing him to chuckle.

Still smiling Obi-Wan offered his arm, which she took. “Shall we?”

Annika nodded, feeling her nerves slightly ease as she felt the warmth radiating from Obi-Wan flood through her body. “We shall.”

* * *

 

It was no secret that Obi-Wan disliked talking to politicians, despite his skill at diplomacy and negotiating he would rather avoid every gala and ball that they attended.

But this gala was a fundraiser for the organization that Annika helped create, something that meant a lot to her and Padmé so he was willing to grin and bear it for their sakes.

Even if he found himself relying on meditative techniques to keep calm…

“Annie dear, we _must_ have tea sometime.”

He watched Annika give a forced smile to the woman she was speaking, clearly disliking her old childhood nickname being used as she replied that she would have to see if her schedule was clear.

The only people who called her Annie any more were her mother and Padmé, sometimes: he himself had only used it when she was younger and stopped calling her it by the time she was a teen.

He was certain the only reason this woman was using it was to imply that Annika was a child, too young to be a Senator and have any say in politics.

“Excuse me Senator Dremine,”

Obi-Wan had never been more relieved to hear Bail’s voice, turning to give the man a grateful smile that he caught.

Bail subtly winked at him before turning to face Senator Dremine with a serious expression. “I hate to interrupt your conversation, but I need to steal Senator Skywalker and Knight Kenobi away for a discussion: you don’t mind, do you?”

Senator Dremine pasted a sickly-sweet smile on her face. “Of course not, it was nice talking to you Annie, we had a wonderful discussion, didn’t we?”

Annika returned the smile. “Of course, I didn’t expect to hear such unpopular views, but then I forgot who I was speaking to.”

Obi-Wan coughed to hide his grin as the senator gaped at his former padawan, knowing that what she said was an insult hidden in her words but couldn’t call her out on it.

Bail was also amused, his mouth twitching as he said his goodbyes to Senator Dremine before offering his arm to Annika who took it.

The two began walking away with Obi-Wan close behind. Bail turned to look at Annika, a smile on his face. “I do believe you confused Senator Dremine, Anna.”

Annika snorted. “She’s lucky that’s _all_ I did: I was very close to hitting her.”

“I know,” the Alderaanian senator remarked dryly. “Padmé asked me to fetch you to prevent an intergalactic incident.”

 “And it’s a good thing I did,” the woman herself commented as she made her way over. “I’m assuming Senator Dremine was her usual charming self?”

“You mean completely disregarding everyone around her and simply talking without a filter?”

Annika asked, smirking when she saw Padmé let out a laugh and grin at her.

“That is a _very_ accurate description of the woman,” she sighed. “I wonder how she even got elected, given her lack of diplomacy.”

“She comes from a wealthy and powerful family, that’s how,” Bail explained. “Her father was good friends with the former senator.”

Padmé blinked before shaking her head. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised by the blatant display of favouritism, considering how she acts.”

Glancing over her shoulder the Naboo senator smiled. “Forgive me for leaving you gentlemen, but it would appear some people want to speak to Anna and I.”

Despite looking nervous Annika released Bail’s arm and followed Padmé as they made their way over to a group standing off to the side.

Obi-Wan and Bail stood next to each other, watching the two women slowly charm the group and convince them to support their organization.

“They are quite remarkable, aren’t they?”

Bail commented, causing Obi-Wan to nod. “They are,” he agreed, smiling softly as he watched Annika laugh at something someone said.

He turned his head to see Bail smirking at him. “You appear to be watching your former padawan quite closely,” the senator commented in a quiet tone.

The esteemed Jedi Master felt his cheeks heat. “I could say the same about you and our beloved Naboo senator,” he countered, watching as the man’s cheeks darkened.

“Yes, well I…”

Bail trailed off, leaving the two men standing in an awkward silence and trying their hardest not to look at each other.

A few minutes passed before Obi-Wan spoke up. “Let’s agree to never speak of this again, shall we?”

“Agreed.”

* * *

 

Annika said goodbye to one of the senators, smiling as she watched them walk away to talk to someone else.

Her smile vanished when the person was out of her line of sight and she let out a loud sigh. “That was rather exhausting.”

Padmé nodded in agreement. “Very, but at least we got fundraising.”

Smiling at her friend Annika looked over her shoulder and her expression brightened when she saw a familiar face. “Agent Pryde, what are you doing here?”

Kiergan grinned as he made his way over, dressed in his finest suit. “After the Jallacom case, my superiors were so impressed that I got a promotion and transferred to the Coruscant Division.”

“I’m here on orders that I am to ‘play nice’” He made quotation marks with his fingers and Annika laughed, waving at Padmé who smiled and nodded before leaving to go talk to other people.

“Anna, is that you?”

Blinking Annika turned to see who was calling and felt her lips twitch when she saw Jazen waving enthusiastically at her.

“Agent Sisk,” Kiergan greeted, amusement in his tone as the man made his way over. “I’m surprised to see you attending such an event: usually you try to get out of these types of events.”

“You two know each other?” Annika inquired, raising an eyebrow in question.

“We were at the academy together,” Jazen explained, grinning crookedly. “I…may or may not have dragged him into mischief from time to time.”

“If by mischief you mean hanging our instructor’s underwear out of a window, then yes, I got dragged into it a lot, by you.”

Trying to hide her smile behind her hand Annika spoke in an amused tone. “Well, it is nice to see you two again under much _nicer_ circumstances.”

“Meeting you without weapons being involved is rather nice,” Kiergan agreed, causing Jazen to raise an eyebrow while looking between the two before remarking dryly, “Why do I get the feeling there’s a rather interesting story there?”

 “Because there is Agent Sisk.”

Obi-Wan’s voice cut in, sounding amused as Annika turned to face him. Coming up to stand beside her he turned a curious gaze on Kiergan. “Forgive me, but I don’t believe we’ve ever met.”

“Obi-Wan, this is Agent Kiergan Pryde, he’s with the Anti-Corruption Bureau: he was assigned to the Dessau Division and had been investigating Jallacom’s senator and first minister,” Annika explained before turning to Kiergan. “Agent Pryde, this is my former master Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

The two men shook hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m grateful for what you did to help Anna,” Obi-Wan commented.

Kiergan’s cheeks flushed slightly, shaking his head as he released the man’s hand. “I don’t deserve your gratitude Master Kenobi, if I had done my job properly then Senator Skywalker along with the other innocent people would not have been thrown into prison.”

Annika frowned. “You did your job properly Kiergan,” she said in a gentle tone. “You said it yourself: Senator Dangir and First Minister Zapal were very secretive and your superiors would not have been pleased if you acted without evidence.”

“You did what you could within the capabilities of your job and, quite frankly, you did a good job.”

Kiergan ducked his head briefly before bringing it up to give her a wry smile. “Is that a tactic that Jedi teach?”

“Yes, it’s an ancient secret technique that has been passed down through generations,” she winked teasingly. “Don’t tell anyone.”

Kiergan put a hand on his heart. “I promise you m’lady, it shall not leave my lips.” His lips were twitching as he said that.

“But,” he spoke, sounding serious again. “Had it not been for your actions, it is unlikely I would have been able to resolve the case as quickly as I could: both I and the people of Jallacom owe you a deep debt.”

Annika felt her cheeks flush, especially when Jazen cut in. “Yes, Vora and I were both ready to arrest Senator Aren: had it not been for your intervention we would have never uncovered the truth of the operation.”

Clearing her throat Annika smiled softly. “Well, I am pleased that I was able to assist you.”

Jazen nodded, turning to look at an amused Obi-Wan. “Working with you was also a pleasure Master Kenobi: I would not be opposed to working with you or another Jedi in the future.”

“We are here to serve Agent Sisk,” Obi-Wan stated warmly. “I am sure such a partnership is possible.”

“In that case,” Jazen said as he raised his glass. “Shall we toast to the new working relationship between the Jedi and the Judicial Department?”

The other three followed his lead, raising their glasses. “To the partnership between the Jedi and the Judicial Department,” Jazen began. “May it be both fruitful and as interesting as the Jedi themselves are.”

Clinking her glass with the others Annika brought it up to sip, glancing over her shoulder she took notice of couples making their way to the dance floor.

She turned her head slightly and saw Obi-Wan looking at her with an unreadable expression.

 “What?” Annika asked, confused.

Obi-Wan smiled softly. “The whole point of this fundraiser is to make an impression, correct?”

He gestured with his head and Annika followed his gaze to where the couples were dancing. Eyes widening, she whipped her back around to face him before shaking her head rapidly.

“We’ve danced before Anna, at a gala very much like this one,” Obi-Wan pointed out.

“I wasn’t yet the center of attention, all eyes will be on me,” Annika protested as she turned a wary gaze towards the dance floor.

It wasn’t just that she would likely have everyone watching her, it was the type of dance that worried her.

The dance she and Obi-Wan had shared at her election gala had been slow: this was fast-paced with a lot of turning and dipping and—

She was cut off from her thoughts by the feeling of a gentle touch on her hand, turning her head to see Obi-Wan giving her a reassuring look.

“Anna, do you really think I would let you make a fool of yourself?”

Watching her shake her head Obi-Wan smiled. “Do you trust me?”

Annika nodded. “Always,” she whispered and Obi-Wan smiled wider, taking her glass and handing it to Jazen whose lips were twitching.

He held a hand out to her and Annika stared at it for a few minutes, taking a deep breath before taking it and allowing herself to be led out to the dance floor.

Standing off to the side Jazen and Kiergan watched as the other couples made room for them. They watched as Obi-Wan and Annika faced each other, bowing and curtseying to each other respectively before they got themselves into position.

The music began playing and they were off, the two of them seeming to correctly predict the other’s moves as they glided across the floor.

The other couples had joined them but they were more focused on watching Obi-Wan and Annika as they moved around, seeming to move in one single motion.

“That’s just, wow,” Jazen commented, jaw slack as he watched him. “Do you think that’s the Force?”

Kiergan shook his head. “It could be, but I think it’s more likely just the evidence of them knowing each other for so many years.”

Nodding his head Jazen allowed his gaze to wander, taking note of people’s reactions.

He tensed slightly when he saw two Jedi watching: one was a bald dark-skinned man and the other appeared to be a Kel Dor.

The Jedi’s rules on attachments were common knowledge: personally, Jazen never understood why—after all, relationships were a natural part of life, how could you live without them—but he wasn’t a Jedi.

In any case, he was worried about how they would react because—to any outside observer—the Jedi Senator and her former master _looked_ like a couple.

To his surprise, however, he didn’t see any looks of scrutiny or anger—though they _were_ Jedi, they could be hiding them—instead, the two wore expressions that appeared to be a mix of resignation and exasperation with a bit of fondness mixed in.

He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow when, further away from the two Jedi, he saw the vice-chancellor narrowing his eyes at the two as Obi-Wan twirled Annika causing her to laugh.

That was rather odd, what did he have against them?

He filed it away for later, watching as the music ended and the pair came to a stop. Applause filled the room as everyone clapped enthusiastically causing Annika and Obi-Wan to flush with smiles blooming on their faces.

A few people began making their way over to the two, giving what Jazen assumed were compliments and praises.

Inclining his head Obi-Wan brought Annika’s hand up to kiss, causing her to turn even redder before he bowed politely and made his way over to the other two Jedi.

The man’s plan worked: Annika had certainly made an impression on several people who seemed eager to talk to her—though if the way she glanced at Obi-Wan before looking away in embarrassment was any indication, Obi-Wan made quite the impression as well—and she likely had more people interested in her organization.

Jazen and Kiergan kept their eyes on the pair the rest of the night and despite talking to different people at various points the two always seemed to find each other, it was like they were magnets who were constantly drawn to each other.

Kiergan pointed out that it was likely the force-bond at work—they had been master and padawan after all—but Jazen preferred the version where the two had strong feelings for each other, much more romantic.

Personally, he thought they made a good pair, and if anyone could make the Jedi change their rules it would be them.

He wondered if he could start an inter-organization betting pool…and if he could keep it a secret…

Hey, he was never one to ignore a challenge and this one would be for a good cause, now if only he could convince some senators to join in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Voila, it is done! I'm making it my goal to have Obi-Wan and Annika dance every few chapters because what better way for them to realize their feelings? 
> 
> Yes, I re-introduced Agent Pryde and Sisk because they are part of an another subplot which is the Jedi essentially building a stronger relationship with law enforcement agencies which will help them find out where and who the Sith is a _lot _sooner. Plus it's more people being dragged into the insanity that is Annika and Obi-Wan xD__
> 
>  
> 
> _  
> _No, Jazen doesn't have a gambling problem, why would you ask that?__  
> 


	16. Revenge is Not Always Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan assists Jazen with a serial killer case and learns that sometimes there isn't a happy ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, fair warning: towards the end of the chapter there is mention of sexual assault, it isn't detailed but there is mention of it.
> 
> Also, this chapter is slightly more depressing.

Obi-Wan stared at his datapad, reading through the information displayed on the screen as he walked down the halls of the Jedi Temple.

Annika was busy helping get some of the programs set up for her organization so Obi-Wan was currently catching up on some research he was doing.

With the way things were running now the Jedi weren’t as busy as they once were; yes, they were still assisting with treaties and negotiations as well as catching criminals but now that they weren’t at the beck and call of the Senate they were able to relax, as much as they could anyway.

So, Obi-Wan had spent some time in the creche—saying hello to Darra and Ferus, who was there for some odd reason, and ignoring their pointed remarks about his and Annika’s dance—before heading to the archives to pick up a datapad he needed.

Lost in his thoughts he looked up with a frown when he saw two Temple Guards and Dooku standing in the entrance.

Dooku looked amused while the guards looked irritated as a very familiar voice spoke up.

“Come on guys, I told you, I know Master Kenobi!”

Feeling his lips twitch in amusement at the loud exclamation Obi-Wan made his way over to where the guards were stopping Jazen from entering the temple.

“It’s alright, you can let him in,” Obi-Wan said. “He’s with me.”

The guards glanced at Dooku who nodded before stepping aside to allow Jazen to enter. “Not exactly the warm welcome I was expecting,” he remarked dryly.

“Well, the Jedi aren’t known for being very welcoming,” Dooku explained. Jazen raised an eyebrow. “That’s a shame, why don’t you guys have tours? I’m not saying you should show them anything that’s classified but it would help people get a better feel for you guys.”

Dooku looked thoughtful. “That is a very interesting suggestion, I may have to bring that up with the council.”

“In any case,” Obi-Wan changed the subject. “What brings you here?”

He watched the agent’s expression become serious as he sighed. “I would like to address the Council, I realize this is rather last minute but I have something of urgency to discuss.”

Obi-Wan frowned, sharing a look with Dooku. “Generally speaking, the Council would prefer to have meetings scheduled,”

“I see…” Jazen replied, sounding disappointed. Obi-Wan smiled gently.

“But as we have no pressing matters, I’m sure they won’t mind hearing you out.”

Jazen grinned slightly before following the two Jedi deeper into the temple.  He looked around in awe, having never seen this part of the temple before.

“So, the Council Chamber is at the top of this tower?” he asked as the group began climbing up the stairs. Obi-Wan nodded. “Yes, it has been for as long as I could remember.”

Eventually, they stopped in front of the doors leading to the chamber. Dooku made a gesture for them to wait while he entered.

Obi-Wan and Jazen waited for a few minutes before Dooku came back out. “The Council has agreed to give you an audience.”

Entering the room Obi-Wan moved to stand off to the side while Jazen bowed to the Council, Dooku having taken his seat.

“Thank you for giving me the chance to speak to you.”

Mace nodded. “What is it you wish to talk to us about Agent Sisk?”

Jazen took a deep breath before he began speaking. “I’m assuming you have kept up with the news and are therefore aware of the serial killer that has been plaguing Coruscant.”

“We are,” Qui-Gon replied, sounding very solemn.

It was all that any major news outlet could talk about, three young women had been found dead and there was a genuine fear that more victims would be coming.

The fact that the victims were all blonde with blue eyes struck a chord with the Jedi as they resembled Annika far too much for their comfort.

“There have been no new leads and there is incredible pressure on law enforcement to solve this case quickly,” Jazen explained. Mace nodded. “Forgive me if this sounds rude, but you work in the anti-terrorism task force: what is your connection to a serial killer case?”

“Vora knows the lead agent of the case and since I have a background in profiling she asked if I could help,”

Jazen took a deep breath, looking at the Jedi Council as he continued. “To be quite frank, we need a miracle and if working with Master Kenobi has taught me anything, it’s that the Jedi can make miracles.”

Yoda nodded, flicking his ears as he spoke. “Brought to justice, this criminal must be. Help you, we will.”

He glanced over at Obi-Wan. “Master Kenobi, experience working with Agent Sisk you have, be willing to work with him again, would you?”

“Of course, Master Yoda,” Obi-Wan replied, smiling at Jazen who returned it. “I would be honored to assist Agent Sisk.”

“Well, we should go then.”

Jazen stated, the two men bowing politely to the Council before leaving the chamber. Qui-Gon turned to Yoda.

“Do you think the Sith may be behind these murders?”

Yoda hummed thoughtfully, his ears twitching. “A possibility, it may be, unsure I am.”

“Watch and see, we can only do.”

* * *

 

The instant Obi-Wan stepped foot in the Coruscant Police Station he was assaulted by the sounds of people yelling orders and millions of beeps going off at once.

He was nearly knocked over by a young police officer carrying datapads, he immediately reached out to steady her.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see—“

The officer stopped, her face turning even redder when she saw his robes and lightsaber. “Forgive me Master Jedi, I should have been watching where I was going.”

She apologized, bowing low to him and her hair falling into her face. Feeling a hand resting on her shoulder she slowly looked up to see Obi-Wan smiling reassuringly at her.

“It is fine Officer, I should have been paying attention.”

Her mouth turned upwards in a smile as she straightened up. Jazen cleared his throat. “You wouldn’t, by any chance, know where we could find Agent Rethera?”

The officer’s expression brightened. “Yes, follow me,” she exclaimed, turning on her heel and walking down a hallway.

The two men followed her, Obi-Wan taking the chance to act a bit politer. “Forgive me for being so rude earlier but what is your name, if you don’t mind me asking?”

The officer looked over her shoulder, smiling gently. “It’s Rowana, Rowana Holst.”

Obi-Wan returned the smile. “It is nice to meet you, Officer Holst.” The woman flushed pink, turning her head to hide her flushed cheeks as they came in front of two glass doors.

Inside the room they could see a woman staring at a large screen with her hands on her hips, they entered the room and Rowana cleared her throat causing the woman to jump and turn.

Obi-Wan took in her brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail and sharp blue eyes, noting she certainly had the look of an investigator determined to bring a criminal to justice.

“Agent Sisk, I’m presuming?” The woman questioned as she stepped forward to shake Jazen’s hand. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed Obi-Wan. “I didn’t know I would be having Jedi assistance as well.”

Her tone wasn’t hostile just curious so Obi-Wan didn’t take any offense. “I am at your service m’lady,” he said, taking her hand and bringing it up to kiss causing her mouth to twitch in amusement.

“Agent Merianii Rethera with the Violent Crimes Investigative Division,” she introduced herself. “Hopefully with your help I can finally close this case.”

Jazen nodded as he sat down at the conference table with Obi-Wan following his lead. “What have you got so far?”

“Three dead women—likely more will be coming—and an unreachable suspect so pretty much nothing.” Jazen raised an eyebrow.

“There’s been nothing in the news that states you have a suspect,” Obi-Wan commented, causing Merianii to smile softly. “Because said suspect is _very_ influential and we want to keep our cards close to our chest.”

“So, who is your suspect?”

Merianii handed them a holopic of a handsome man in his fifties with nondescript brown hair and eyes. “Thion Kentin, CEO of Kentin Tech.”

“I’ve heard of him,” Jazen commented as he examined the photo. “He’s supposed to be some big multi-billionaire, right?”

“Correct,” Merianii replied, nodding her head. “And he also happens to be a playboy with a specific interest in young blondes with blue eyes.”

Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes. “I’m assuming you have evidence that ties him to the three women?”

She nodded, handing him a datapad that he began to read. “All three women knew him, having worked either for his company directly or at events he held, and we have word from people close to them that they were all in a relationship with him but had ended shortly before their deaths.”

Jazen leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table as his mind whirled. “From what I’ve read about him he definitely has a narcissistic personality disorder: he believes himself to be more important than he actually is, he needs attention and cares little about other people.”

Leaning on the table Merianii looked at him. “Do you think he could have killed these women?”

“It’s possible,” he conceded. “Narcissists typically are very manipulative and, if pushed far enough, can become violent.”

“If he believed these women had disrespected him—which, to him, any minor disagreement would be seen as such—he may have killed them out of rage.”

“Well then,” Obi-Wan began as he stood up. “We should go and talk to Mr. Kentin about these women.”

Merianii raised an eyebrow. “He’s been blocking us every chance he gets, how are we supposed to interview him when he refuses to even let us in the building?”

Obi-Wan’s mouth turned up in a charming smirk as he looked over his shoulder at her.

“I have been told that I can be very _persuasive._ ”

* * *

 

Obi-Wan and Merianii entered Kentin Tech headquarters, Jazen having stayed behind to go through the case files with Officer Holst to see if anything else popped out at him.

The waiting room was pretty much empty except for a few people dressed in business attire. The receptionist was young with dark hair and was typing away at her computer.

Approaching the desk Merianii cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

The woman looked up, her face turning white when she saw who was standing in front of her. “I’m sorry Agent Rethera, but you aren’t allowed to speak with Mr. Kentin.”

Merianii opened her mouth but was cut off by Obi-Wan stepping forward, a charming smile on his face. “Hello, what is your name?”

Blushing the receptionist replied in a shy voice. “Nomi.” Obi-Wan nodded, putting his arm on the desk and leaning forward. “Well Nomi, my name is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and I would like to speak to Mr. Kentin.”

“You’re a Jedi?” She questioned, eyes wide. Obi-Wan smiled. “Yes.”

Nomi hesitated for a brief moment before pressing a button on her earphone. “Mr. Kentin? Agent Rethera is here—”

Merianii and Obi-Wan as she turned red in embarrassment as Mr. Kentin presumably yelled something at her. “Yes, I know you said not to let her up sir, but there’s a Jedi with her, says his name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

She was silent for a few minutes, nodding her head. “Yes sir, I understand sir.”

Ending the call, she looked up at the two with a forced smile. “Mr. Kentin will see you now, his office is at the end of the hall on the top floor.”

“Thank you,” Merianii said before starting to make her way towards the lifts while Obi-Wan lifted her hand up to kiss.

“Thank you very much, your assistance was appreciated.”

He thanked her, his eyes twinkling at her as her cheeks turned redder before turning to follow his companion.

Seeing Merianii smirking at him as he entered the lift he raised an eyebrow. “What?”

She shook her head. “Nothing, I guess you are _very_ persuasive.” Obi-Wan grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest after the doors closed. “Negotiations are my specialty.”

Laughing Merianii returned his grin. “In that case, I’m very grateful to have you with me.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to reply but closed it as the doors opened revealing a large reception room. A woman sat behind a desk in front of the doors he presumed lead to Thion’s office.

He took notice of the fact she was young, like the receptionist, but unlike her had blonde hair and blue eyes.

_Exactly his type_ , Obi-Wan thought as he approached the desk. “Excuse me, miss?”

The woman looked up and he was struck by how much she looked like Anna, a thought that made his stomach sink when he realized _why_ she looked so much like her.

“You’re the Jedi, aren’t you?”

She realized, her eyes wide with awe which made Obi-Wan smile a little: while he certainly disliked getting a lot of attention he knew that few people ever saw a Jedi up close—something that really didn’t help the negative perception people had of them—so he wasn’t bothered.

“Yes, we’re here to speak with Mr. Kentin,” he smiled charmingly at her. “May we go in?”

Nodding while flushing she gestured with her hand. “You can go right in, he’s waiting for you.”

Thanking her the two entered the office which was very extravagant with paintings hanging on the walls, expensive sculptures on display—including one of the man himself.

Obi-Wan stared at the sculpture as a voice piped up. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

He turned to see Thion Kentin smiling at him with wide teeth from behind his desk. “It’s something,” Obi-Wan replied, remembering what Jazen said about the man taking minor criticisms as disrespect.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Kentin said, sounding somewhat awed. “I’ve heard many good things about you, I’ve also had the honor of meeting your senator; she’s a remarkable woman, no?”

Merianii watched the Jedi tense up and remembered that Annika Skywalker was blonde with blue eyes—exactly the type Kentin liked. “Yes, she is.”

Obi-Wan’s tone was calm, his facial expressions not giving anything away. Kentin looked disappointed that he didn’t get a reaction out of him. “Well, what can I help you with? I believe I’ve already informed you Agent Rethera that I am unable to assist you with your case.”

“Really?” At his nod, Merianii pulled out holopics and placed them down. “So, you’re telling me you don’t know Zulia Terix, Cyana Botos or Miko Triel?”

Watching his smile drop as he stared at the photos Merianii resisted the urge to smirk. “It’s a crime to obstruct a murder investigation Mr. Kentin.”

Kentin didn’t react to her statement, casually leaning back in his chair with his smirk back in place. “My apologies Agent Rethera, I simply forgot these women.”

“You forgot these women?” Obi-Wan questioned, sounding disbelieving. “You were involved with them, were you not?”

His smirk grew wider. “I’ve dated plenty of women just like them: they all look alike after a while.”

Glancing at the pictures once again he pointed at the one of Miko Triel. “Her, though, she was an interesting one.”

“In what way?”

Merianii inquired, intrigued by his statement. Kentin shrugged his shoulders. “She was very skittish, always looking around as if she thought she was being followed.”

“Did she mention anything to you?” Obi-Wan asked the man, who shook his head. “No, and our arrangement was short-term only so I eventually stopped seeing her.”

Frustrated by the lack of information they had gotten Merianii stood. “Thank you Mr. Kentin, I apologize for wasting your time.”

She left the office, walking quickly towards the elevator with Obi-Wan keeping up with her. “God, that guy gives me the creeps,” she muttered, shivering slightly.

Obi-Wan chuckled softly. “Yes, I agree, though I’m not sure he’s our guy.”

Merianii glanced at him with a curious expression. “Is that what the Force is telling you?” He just gave her a sly smile.

“Right, you Jedi and your ability to hide what you’re thinking—”

She was cut off by the sound of her comm going off, frowning she dug it out and answered it with a sharp “yes?”

Obi-Wan watched the numbers fly by, his mind wandering as he thought over the actions of Kentin: there was no doubt in his mind that the man was completely obsessed with himself and cared little for anyone else.

But he didn’t think he was capable of murder.

“Thank you for telling me,” he turned to look at Merianii who looked frustrated. “We’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“What is it?”

He asked, feeling a sense of dread fall over him at the expression on her face as the lift doors slid open. Sighing she looked at him with a grim expression.

“Another body’s just been found.”

* * *

 

Rowana turned to see Obi-Wan and Merianii ducking under the crime scene tape, her expression was tight as she began speaking, “She was found an hour ago, a worker came out to throw out the garbage and found her here.”

Obi-Wan let out a heavy sigh when he saw the body: he had seen the photos of the other victims of course, but seeing it up close was another thing entirely.

The victim lay on the ground with her hands crossed on top of her chest, it almost looked like she was sleeping except for the marks around her neck showing she had been strangled.

“The coroner theorizes that she’s been dead for an hour,” Jazen said as he approached the group. “Cause of death was asphyxiation, like the other victims.”

He frowned as he stared at the body, something that Obi-Wan noticed. “Agent Sisk, you have something to say?”

“The way the victims were posed and the care the body was treated with, it implies that the killer felt remorse for their actions,” the man explained, causing Merianii to raise an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound like something Thion Kentin would do.”

“Because it isn’t,”

Jazen began pacing as he continued speaking. “He is incapable of caring for anyone but himself, he would not feel sorry for what he did.”

“So, what you’re saying is,” Obi-Wan began. “Is that Kentin is likely not our killer.”

Merianii let out a loud sigh. “If that’s true, then we’ll need to start from square one and—”

She stopped, narrowing her eyes when she saw a mysterious cloaked figure standing in the shadows and watching them. “Excuse me sir, but this is a crime scene, you need to leave.”

The figure didn’t respond and she frowned, stepping a bit closer. “You need to leave now, sir, otherwise I’ll be forced to—”

But she didn’t get the chance to say what she would have to do because the figure took off running, with Obi-Wan close behind.

“I thought Jedi weren’t supposed to rush headfirst into danger…”

Merianii muttered under her breath as she took off after the Jedi, managing to keep up with him despite the fact he was likely using Force speed.

Panting for breath and drawing her blaster she turned the corner and saw Obi-Wan facing the figure with his lightsaber drawn.

To her surprise and worry, she saw the figure also had a lightsaber, colored red instead of the traditional blue or green

Merianii gathered her courage and pointed the blaster at the figure. “Put the weapon down, now!”

The two Jedi—or whatever the other person was—turned around in surprise and she swallowed when she saw two yellow and red eyes staring back at her.

“Agent Rethera, please leave this to me, this is out of your league,” Obi-Wan warned her, causing her to shake her head.

“You are under arrest for trespassing—”

She was cut off by her throat suddenly constricting around her as if she was being suffocated. Instinctively her hand went to her throat but there was nothing grabbing her there.

Glancing up she saw the figure was holding out his hand and making a choking motion with it but he wasn’t actually touching her: was this the Force?

Was this something a Jedi could do?

Obi-Wan watched in horror as Merianii slowly began to lose consciousness, thinking fast he swung his lightsaber causing the Sith apprentice to lower his hand in order for it to not be cut off.

With the obstruction removed the female agent let out a gasp and collapsed to the floor. He looked quickly from her to the figure who disappeared just as the sounds of sirens came closer.

Running over to her Obi-Wan crouched down next to her, checking her over. “Are you alright?”

Merianii wheezed as she spoke in a hoarse voice. “I’m assuming he wasn’t a friend of yours?”

Obi-Wan chuckled, his mouth twitching. “I can assure you, he definitely wasn’t.”

Later Merianii was seated in the back of an air ambulance as a paramedic droid checked her over, she looked up to see Jazen and Rowana making their way over with Obi-Wan.

“We set up a perimeter up to ten miles, still couldn’t find our mystery man,” Rowana said, sounding disappointed. “Do you think that figure was our killer?”

“No,” she turned to face Obi-Wan who had crossed his arms. “That person is as incapable of remorse as Thion Kentin.”

Merianii raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said you didn’t know him?” She asked suspiciously.

“I said he wasn’t a friend, not that I didn’t know him,” Obi-Wan corrected her. “But the point is, he isn’t our killer.”

Sighing Merianii stood up, feeling a little bit dizzy but it was manageable. “Well, I guess we should head back to the station and start going through our files again.”

Everyone nodded and moved to leave except for Obi-Wan who cleared his throat. “Forgive me, but I have someone I want to ask, I’ll catch up with you later.”

Waiting until Merianii gave him the ok he turned and began making his way toward the Senate apartment complex.

There was someone he needed to see.

* * *

 

“Master Kenobi, it’s nice to see you: I thought you were working a case?”

Obi-Wan smiled at Yané who looked confused, brushing a kiss over the back of her hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you as well my dear, and the case is why I’m here.”

Understanding crossed her face and the brunette handmaiden nodded, stepping aside as she said, “she’s on the balcony.”

He thanked her and made his way onto the balcony, feeling a gust of wind brush his face. Looking around he felt a smile form on his face when he saw her sitting on a couch and looking down at a datapad with a furrowed brow.

“Whatever’s on that datapad must be frustrating to give you that look,”

Annika looked up in confusion, her eyes lighting up when she saw Obi-Wan approaching her. “What a surprise to see you here Master Kenobi, I was under the impression you were assisting on a murder case: _surely_ you didn’t leave them to deal with all the paperwork?”

He chuckled, his eyes twinkling as he sat down next to her. “There wasn’t that much paperwork and besides, I do plan to return to them.”

Annika must have sensed something was bothering him because she narrowed her eyes and put aside her datapad before fixing him with a serious look. “What is on your mind?”

Obi-Wan sighed heavily, leaning back into the couch. “Another woman has been killed and the only suspect, Thion Kentin, is likely not the killer.”

Turning to look at the blonde senator, who was tilting her head expectantly at him, he suddenly recalled something he wanted to ask her.

“Anna…?”

“Yes?” She responded, frowning when she saw his hesitation. “You’ve met Thion Kentin before, right?”

“I have,” she snorted. “It wasn’t the best experience I’ve ever had, not going to lie.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, smiling weakly. “Did he ever, I mean…”

He trailed off, unsure of whether he wanted to finish the sentence but Annika seemed to understand. “I can’t say he didn’t show me he was interested,” she admitted. “I politely but firmly turned him down and he never pushed it.”

“I was under the impression that Thion Kentin didn’t like being told no,”

Obi-Wan questioned and Annika chuckled. “Yes, he wasn’t pleased with my refusal, but…”

Biting her lip, she chose her words carefully before continuing. “With all due respect to the previous women he has dated, he generally prefers to go after women he can control: women who won’t argue with the way he treats them and who he can discard easily.”

Annika chuckled softly, her cheeks turning pink as she said shyly. “He found out pretty quickly that I wasn’t one of those women and he lost interest pretty fast.”

Smiling softly Obi-Wan reached out and grasped one of her hands before bringing it up to kiss. “I don’t think he could handle someone like you anyways Anna,” he remarked slyly as he watched her cheeks turn redder.

“Well,” she said, quickly pulling her hand back after he released it. “I can’t help but feel sorry for the women he has dated, he’s gone through so many, I’m surprised they haven’t opened a support group or something.”

Obi-Wan chuckled and opened his mouth to reply before he closed it, eyebrow furrowed as his mind began to whirl.

The killer felt remorse for what they had done as if they knew what the victims had gone through…

“Anna, you are absolutely brilliant!”

Obi-Wan exclaimed, causing Annika to stupidly stare at him as he got up and headed back inside. She quickly followed him, her tone confused as she asked, “Obi-Wan, how exactly am I brilliant—?”

She was cut off by Obi-Wan quickly walking up to her and gently kissing her on the forehead, making her face turn bright red as she watched him leave with a dumbfounded expression.

“My lord, where on earth could Master Kenobi be off in such a hurry?”

Threepio exclaimed in bewilderment as the Jedi Master whizzed by him. Eirtaé didn’t respond, instead staring at her mistress whose face was turning redder with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t say anything.”

Annika warned her handmaiden who just smirked at her, turning around and heading into her bedroom to try and get her color to return to normal as she wondered what just happened.

* * *

 

“Let me get this straight, you think our killer is one of Thion Kentin’s former girlfriends?”

Merianii questioned, staring at the Jedi who had burst into the conference room and didn’t give them any time to react before telling them his theory.

Obi-Wan nodded as he added, “It makes sense, the remorse the killer felt for killing the victims because she herself knew what they went through.”

Jazen, who had listened quite closely to Obi-Wan’s explanation, nodded his head in agreement. “It also explains the method of killing: the coroner said that the killer used something, likely a rope, to strangle the victims.”

“The killer likely killed these victims because she wanted revenge on Kentin for what he did to her: she felt sorry for what she did though, and thus treated the victims with respect.”

Merianii nodded. “That also explains why Kentin was the only link we found with the victims, the killer likely wanted us to believe it was him.”

“So, what do we do now?” Rowena asked. Jazen began pulling out datapads. “Instead of looking at the victims we look at Thion Kentin, try and find any woman linked with him romantically who has a motive.”

The four sat down and began going through the datapads, desperately trying to find their mystery woman. There was a lot of caf, a lot of muttering and a datapad or two may have gotten chucked at the wall.

Eventually, the silence was broken by Rowena’s excited shout. “I found her!”

Jazen walked over to her, taking the datapad she held out to him and scanning through it quickly before a grim expression appeared on his face. “Yes, this woman definitely has a motive.”

He read it out. “Lorah Norvar attended one of Thion Kentin’s parties twenty years ago, she was a waitress: the next day she filed charges against him accusing him of sexually assaulting her.”

Merianii’s tone became cold as she said, “Let me guess, the charges didn’t stick.” Jazen nodded solemnly. “Despite the mountains of evidence they were dropped and a settlement was reached out of court.”

Reading something on the datapad his expression dropped. “Unfortunately, the only way she could kill our victims is if she came back from the dead, she died a month ago: it was ruled a suicide.”

Merianii let out a curse, walking over to a window and crossing her arms as she stared out at it. “Wait, here’s something.”

She looked over her shoulder at Rowena who was reading something on the computer. “Medical records from twenty years ago say that nine months after her assault she went to the hospital.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened, nine months that meant that—

“She had a child?”

Rowena nodded, her eyes furiously scanning the page in front of her. “A daughter, she’d be twenty now, let me just—aha!”

She exclaimed triumphantly as she brought up a picture, gesturing to Merianii who quickly came over. The woman only had to glance at the picture before freezing when she realized who she was staring at.

“Master Kenobi, doesn’t she look familiar?” Obi-Wan frowned as he made his way over to her, eyes widening when he saw the brunette woman in the picture.

“That’s the receptionist,” he stated in shock. He shared a look with Merianii before the two began running out of the room.

“Jazen, get units out to the Kentin Tech main offices now!” Merianii called out over her shoulder as she made a beeline for her speeder with her Jedi companion close behind.

Hopefully, they got there in time to prevent another tragedy.

* * *

 

Merianii and Obi-Wan burst through the front doors of Kentin Tech, startling the receptionist who—worryingly—wasn’t the woman they had met before.

“Where’s the other receptionist?”

Merianii demanded, causing the current receptionist—a raven-haired woman—to sputter. “S-She went up to speak Mr. Kentin a few minutes ago.”

Muttering a curse under her breath the agent pulled out her comm while Obi-Wan began rushing to the door leading to the stairwell. “This is Agent Rethera, we are at the main offices of Kentin Tech and have a possible hostage situation.”

The two of them drew their weapons before they entered the stairwell and began running up the stairs, they were on the last few steps that led to the door on the level where Kentin’s office was located when they heard a high-pitched scream.

Glancing at each other they quickly threw the door open and saw, through the glass, Thion Kentin looking terrified as they saw what they assumed was Nomi holding his secretary.

Obi-Wan looked at Merianii and made a gesture with his hand as he extinguished his lightsaber before putting it back on his belt. The agent nodded, lowering her weapon enough that she wouldn’t be perceived as a threat but not so much that she couldn’t use it if things escalated.

Taking a deep breath, he entered the office, causing Nomi to whirl around with the blonde secretary struggling in her grip. A vibroblade was pressed against the poor woman’s neck.

“You’re here to stop me, aren’t you,” Nomi stated, tightening her grip to prevent Obi-Wan from moving closer. “Do you know what he did to her?”

“I do,” Obi-Wan replied in a calm voice, hands raised in a placating gesture. “I know what he did was horrible and that your mother never got the justice she deserved.”

Letting out a bitter laugh the brunette’s lower lip trembled as she spoke in a shaking voice, “He raped her and when she tried to make him pay he swept it under the rug: he even gave her money, as if that could make up for what he did.”

“I watched as she slowly destroyed herself, she was berated and treated so horrible for something that was his fault.”

Tears filled her eyes as she continued, “and there are probably others like her: women who he used and discarded as if they were objects without any consequences.”

“He needs to pay, he needs to suffer.”

“Is that why you killed those women?” Obi-Wan asked gently. “To frame him for the crimes so he would finally get the punishment he deserved?”

Her grip loosened slightly, her hand shaking. “I’m sorry I had to kill them,” her tone was soft, apologetic even. “I wish there was another way, but their deaths were necessary: at least they won’t suffer what my mother did.

Obi-Wan took a chance and stepped closer, causing Nomi to yank the secretary closer to her which caused the woman to let out a cry. “Nomi, do you think this is what your mother would have wanted?”

Nomi’s eyes flashed and she removed the vibroblade from her hostage’s neck to point it at the Jedi who raised his hands in surrender. “How dare you talk to me about my mother,” she hissed.

“Do you think your mother would have wanted to be sent to prison because of this man? Her daughter, suffering because of the same man who made her suffer, is that what she wished for you?”

He saw her resolve break, her hand shaking as she lowered her weapon slightly. “Put down your weapon Nomi, do not let this man win anymore.”

Nomi let out a bitter laugh as she released the secretary who quickly scurried out of the way, her eyes wide in terror.

“He’s already won,”

She whispered before clutching the blade in her hands tightly and plunging into her chest. The secretary let out a loud scream as Obi-Wan moved to catch the woman when she fell.

Gently he lowered her to the ground and watched as her eyes began to dim, she had aimed the blade so it would pierce her heart: a quick death.

Obi-Wan bowed his head in respect when her chest rose one last time, covering her eyes as Merianii entered the office with police officers, officer droids and Jazen close behind.

He stood, glancing over at Thion Kentin—the man who started all this—and stared coldly at him before he turned and left the office.

* * *

 

It was a solemn affair that was occurring at Annika’s apartment where Obi-Wan, Merianii, and Jazen had chosen to gather.

They had solved the case and saved a victim, it should be a victory, but it wasn’t, not really.

Their killer was a woman who had been pushed to the breaking point and the innocent man was not so innocent at all—calling it a victory would be an overstatement.

Obi-Wan was on the balcony, his arms resting on the railing. Hearing someone come up beside him he turned and smiled slightly when he saw Annika staring gently at him.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

She asked quietly, tilting her head up to stare at the stars glittering in the night sky. “Hard to believe it can exist where there has been so much pain.”

Obi-Wan looked at her with a soft look in his eyes. “I should have stopped her,” he said quietly causing Annika to look at him.

“Do you think you could have?” She questioned, looking at him gently causing him to sigh as he ducked his head.

“Maybe, maybe not.”

He admitted, causing a silence to fall over him. Annika broke the silence by clearing her throat. “I think, from the moment she walked into that office, she knew she wasn’t going to come out alive.”

“Either she died from police or she killed herself: she loved her mother and, on some level, she wanted to be with her.”

Annika let out a soft laugh. “I can understand that sentiment to some extent,” Obi-Wan frowned, reaching out to take her hand. “I doubt you would do what she did though.”

“If something like that happened to your mother, yes you would want revenge, but you would never hurt innocent people,” he smiled and squeezed her hand. “That’s what I like so much about you, your ability to care for complete strangers.”

Her cheeks flushing Annika squeezed his hand back, a smile pulling at her lips. “Shall we rejoin the festivities?”

She inquired, looking over her shoulder where Jazen and Merianii were drinking. Obi-Wan nodded, starting to escort her back inside.

“We shall.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a long chapter because in two days I am moving into the dorms at my college so things will be hectic and I don't know when I'll get the chance to write so I gave you guys this extra-long chapter that will hopefully make up for my very likely long absence.
> 
> Also, this chapter didn't get a happy ending because, while I would love for there always to be one, in reality, that doesn't always happy. I'm a big fan of earning your happy ending so with the triumphs there will be losses so take this as your official warning: there may be angst ahead (but not too much, because I'm a big fan of fluff :D)
> 
> Besides, who knows? Kentin may just get what's coming to him... >:D


	17. A Mystery is Afoot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika and Padme travel to Alderann for a fundraiser but a mysterious death derails the gala and sets the two women on an investigation.
> 
> Or Annika is suspicious, Padme agrees with her and Obi-Wan doesn't even try to stop them because he knows it's hopeless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a new story arc...

Annika smiled as she said goodbye to yet another Senator, waiting until said person was out of earshot before she let out a loud sigh of relief.

“That was painful,” she muttered under her breath, turning her head when she heard Padmé remark dryly, “Yes, it was.”

Annika and Padmé shared a look before bursting into laughter; they wore identical smiles on their faces that were quickly hidden by their hands.

“It looks like you two are having fun,”

The two women turned to see Breha Organa approaching with her brother beside her, both grinning which caused the women to flush in embarrassment.

“We are, your Majesty,” Padmé replied, beginning to curtsy but was stopped by Breha shaking her head. “There is no need for that Padmé, you were once a queen yourself and besides I consider you my friend.”

The Alderaanian queen turned her head to look at Annika. “That goes for you too Anna.”

Inclining her head in agreement Annika glanced around the room. “This is quite a turnout,” she commented, looking back at Breha with a smile. “Padmé and I are grateful to you for arranging this.”

Breha waved her hand. “Your organization is something that the galaxy had been sorely lacking, giving it the visibility it needed was nothing compared to the good it will undoubtedly do.”

She glanced over her shoulder, seeing couples beginning to move to the dance floor she turned to look at her brother, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she suggested in a sly tone, “Perhaps my dear brother, you should ask our lovely Naboo senator to dance with you?”

Bail flushed in embarrassment—as did Padmé, which amused Annika—and he glared at his older sister who was unaffected.

Coughing he turned to said senator, cheeks still flushed pink as he asked in a dry tone, “It would appear my queen has ordered me to ask you to dance, will you acquiesce?”

Her lips twitching Padmé nodded, taking the hand held out to her and allowed herself to be led to the dance floor where the couples parted to make way for their prince and the Naboo senator.

Annika stood off to the side with Breha, her mouth turned up in a smile as she watched her friends twirl across the dance floor.

“They make a good couple, no?”

Chuckling with amusement Annika turned her head to look at the queen, raising an eyebrow as she asked, “Your Majesty, are you, perhaps, playing matchmaker with your brother and our dear Padmé?”

“Alderaan and Naboo share similar beliefs, a union with their former queen would not be opposed,” Breha simply replied, turning her head and smiling softly when she saw Padmé and Bail laughing. “And as Bail’s older sister, I believe Padmé to be a perfect match for him.”

She smirked. “Though—while they do cut an impressive figure on the dance floor—I hear it’s nothing compared to you and Master Kenobi.”

Feeling her cheeks flush Annika quickly began glancing around the room to hide her red cheeks. She frowned when she saw a figure dressed in black hurrying down the hall through the open doors of the ballroom.

Her attention was drawn away from the figure by Breha tapping her glass with her spoon, calling for everyone to gather around as she gestured for Annika and Padmé to come stand beside her.

“As you know, we are gathered to show support for the organization that the wonderful women beside me started,”

Annika and Padmé couldn’t help but flush at the praise they were being given, smiling brightly at the people who began clapping for them as Breha continued her speech, “It is an organization that we have been desperately needing and I am honored to call the founders of such an organization my friends.”

Smiling brightly, she raised her glass and asked, “Let us raise our glasses to Senator Amidala and Skywalker, two brilliant young women.”

“To Senator Amidala and Skywalker!”

Everyone exclaimed as they raised their glasses, the sound of glass clinking mixed in with the sound of conversation when everyone began talking to each other.

The chatting was broken by the sound of a high-pitched scream: “Help! Someone, please help me!”

Everyone was talking at once, confusion and fear taking over as people began running towards the source of the screams with Annika and Padmé pushing their way to the front.

Annika froze when she saw what had caused the call for help: a man lay just below one of the balconies, his neck bent at an awkward angle and his eyes wide open.

She pushed past a woman who had her hand over her mouth in horror and made her way down the stairs, Padmé close behind.

“What a horrible accident…”

Padmé commented, watching as Annika crouched down next to the body, examining it with a frown and remarked. “I’m not sure this is an accident Padmé.”

“What do you mean?” Bail questioned as he approached the two women. Annika opened her mouth to reply but was cut off. “Of course, this is just a horrible accident,”

The group turned to see a man making his way over, the police badge clearly on display as he smiled brightly.

He had dark hair slicked back—it was clear he spent a _lot_ of time getting it that way—with dull brown eyes and a million-watt smile that made Annika fight back the urge to laugh in his face: he seemed more like a movie star than a police detective.

“Detective Sivron, at your service,” he introduced himself, turning to Annika he began speaking in what was probably supposed to be reassuring but came off as if he was mocking her.

“I appreciate your willingness to help Senator Skywalker, but this is clearly just an accident,”

Annika narrowed her eyes. “What makes you so sure?” She questioned, watching as his expression faltered.

Detective Sivron sighed, still smiling brightly though it seemed a bit dim. “I’m familiar with your work Senator, what you have done is truly amazing, but I fear that’s made you a bit…suspicious,”

“I’m sorry?” Annika questioned, glaring at him. “What is it you are trying to imply?”

“I believe you have become far too used to looking for conspiracies,” he attempted to placate her. “The fact is, my dear Senator, that this is likely just a simple accident.”

“Then why is it that I saw a suspicious-looking figure lurking around right before the body was discovered?”

The blonde Jedi countered, her eyes daring him to come up with an answer for that. “Perhaps, Senator Skywalker, you simply need some rest,” Was the detective’s reply as he tried to sound concerned.

“After all, you have been working hard: maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you.”

“I am not—”

But Annika did not get the chance to finish her sentence as Detective Sivron simply turned away to question the woman who had been the one to find the gentleman.

Annika glanced over her shoulder at the body, her eyes could just be playing tricks on her but something deep inside her told her to listen to her instincts.

And they had never led her wrong before.

* * *

 

“The man was Verun Agneta,”

Padmé announced as she entered the room that she and Annika were sharing. It wasn’t grand by any means but neither was it small: the Queen had been generous to give the senators a four-bedroom suite with a sitting room.

The idea was that Padmé and Annika would get their own rooms while the four handmaidens that had accompanied them would share but the senators had decided to share so Sabé and Eirtaé were taking one bedroom while Dormé and Saché each got their own.

“Did you know him well M’lady?”

Dormé questioned, her hair pulled into a loose braid for sleeping as she laid against the couch. Sabé sat next to her while Eirtaé and Saché were seated by Annika who wore her curls loose.

Padmé shook her head. “Not well, he worked in the royal treasury: his wife works in public relations, currently she’s away on business so they’re going to try and get a hold of her to inform her of his death.”

Letting out a heavy sigh Padmé continued, “The detective has officially declared it an accidental death, so the case is closed.”

Annika nodded, chuckling bitterly. “I expected that he didn’t exactly seem eager to investigate it any further.”

The women said good night to each other and headed to their respective bedrooms. Annika laid down on the bed, listening to Padmé shuffling around as she got ready for bed.

She felt the bed dip and glanced over to see the brunette senator laying in bed but not sleeping. The two of them lay in silence, staring up at the ceiling as their minds wandered.

“Padmé, do you think I’m too suspicious?”

Turning her head slightly Padmé looked at Annika, smiling softly as she replied. “I think that you’ve had many experiences in which your suspicions are well-founded.”

Annika smiled back at her friend. “Thank you,” she whispered, moving under the covers and closing her eyes as she snuggled into her pillow.

Later she was awoken by the sound of a comm going off, she sat up slowly and looked over to see Padmé was in a deep sleep.

Reaching her hand out she fumbled for her comm, letting out a soft curse when she hit her knee on the end table before finding the device. She checked to make sure her friend was still asleep before she quietly exited the room with her comm in hand.

A smile formed on her face when she saw the message was from Obi-Wan and immediately answered the call, watching as the blue-tinted figure of her former master appeared before her.

“Anna,” he greeted warmly. “I hope I didn’t wake you up.”

“It’s fine Obi-Wan, it’s nice to hear from you,” She admitted, feeling her cheeks heat as he laughed, his eyes twinkling.

“How did the fundraiser go? Did you and Senator Amidala manage to win over the supporters?”

He frowned when he saw Annika’s expression shift. “Anna, did something happen?”

Taking a deep breath, she explained what had happened, watching Obi-Wan run a hand over his beard. “It is rather odd that the detective didn’t want to investigate the death despite the fact you stated your suspicions.”

“It would appear that Detective Sivron liked the idea of the case being wrapped in a neat little bow,” his former padawan remarked.

Sensing what was likely going on in the woman’s mind he let out a sigh, his mouth stretching into a small smile. “Is it safe for me to assume that you are planning to continue investigating the case?”

Annika’s smile mimicked his own. “You know me well Master.”

Smirking Obi-Wan shook his head. “Just be careful.” Annika nodded. “I will.”

A thought suddenly came to her and she asked her former master, “The victim’s wife is currently on Coruscant, do you think you could possibly…?”

She trailed off and Obi-Wan chuckled. “I’ll see if I can’t track her down.”

Annika smiled. “Thank you, Obi-Wan, good night.”

With that, she turned off her comm and, with a smile still on her face, turned to head back into her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, sorry this took so long to post, I had a lot of midterms and just a bunch of other stuff that was keeping me busy. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this!


	18. What a Twist!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika and Padme begin their investigation with Bail coming along for the ride: several surprising findings are made along with a shocking turn of events.
> 
> Or Bail is far too used to looking after the girls, Dr. Sinemet got a doctorate in snarking and Detective Sivron is learning, but still very useless

“You really think Agneta’s death wasn’t an accident?”

Bail questioned, furrowing his eyebrows at the two senators standing in front of him. Annika nodded. “I do.”

She said this with conviction, her eyes blazing with determination which made Bail’s mouth turn up slightly; he was very used to that look, it was the same look that Padmé got when she was set on something and it wasn’t surprising to see it on Annika.

After all, the two women were very similar despite their differences.

“I’m assuming you’re going to investigate,” Bail looked at Padmé, adding in a dry tone. “And you will likely be joining her.”

Padmé felt her mouth twitch. “You know me too well Bail.”

Bail smiled briefly before it vanished, seemingly thinking something over before he let out a heavy sigh. “Then I guess I’ll be joining you in your little adventure.”

Blinking Annika asked in a confused tone, “Excuse me?”

“I seem to recall how much trouble the two of you get into when it’s just one of you, I don’t even know what kind of trouble you’ll find together,” he smirked. “Plus, Breha would kill me if anything happened to you.”

Padmé laughed, turning to look at Annika and said, “This is your investigation Anna, where do we start?”

“We look at where the victim worked and see if anything odd was going on in his life: if we’re lucky, one of his coworkers may not believe the police’s finding too.”

* * *

 

“I’m not sure I understand Your Highness: Mr. Agneta’s death was ruled an accident, why are you asking if he was having trouble with anyone?”

Alluria Teranno, Alderaan’s Treasurer, asked in a suspicious tone. One of her eyebrows moved up into her hairline.

“We are simply seeing if there’s anything they might have missed Alluria.” Bail explained calmly. Annika and Padmé stood next to him, subtly glancing around to see if they saw anyone acting weird at their questions.

Annika’s eyebrow went up when she saw a woman with short black hair clutching her hands tightly in her lap, her gaze shifting.

Calmly making her way over the blonde Jedi smiled warmly as she began speaking. “Hello, what’s your name?”

She watched as the woman startled, looking up at her with wide eyes. “F-Fallah, my name is Fallah.”

“It’s nice to meet you Fallah,” Annika said in a warm tone. “Did you know Mr. Agneta?”

If possible, her eyes seemed to grow even wider at the question. She began to shake and her skin became pale. “Fallah?”

Annika asked with concern, reaching out to touch her shoulder. That seemed to pull a trigger as Fallah shot out of her chair and ran over to a nearby wastebasket, leaning over and vomiting into it.

Quickly following her the blonde Jedi held Fallah’s hair back and began stroking her back in a reassuring fashion as Fallah emptied her stomach.

“I’m sorry, I did not mean to upset you.”

Fallah shook her head, her color slowly returning to normal. “It is fine Senator Skywalker, I’ve been sick for a while now and certain things seem to trigger it.”

Annika waited to see if she was feeling better before helping the young woman up. Seeing she was well, Annika turned to leave only to be stopped by Fallah calling out, “Wait!”

Turning around the blonde Jedi stared at the young woman who fidgeted with her hand as she said in a shaky voice, “I-I worked for Mr. Agneta, I was his secretary.”

Annika nodded, waiting for her to continue. Fallah took a deep breath. “Before he—before his death he was nervous and anxious.”

“Did he give any indication as to why?”

Fallah shook her head. “No, but…” She bit her lip, looking away and seeming hesitant.

“Fallah,” Annika began, “You won’t get in trouble, I promise, but if there’s something you think is important…” She trailed off, hoping the young woman would be willing to share.

Nodding her head sharply the dark-haired woman explained, “Some money from the treasury has been going missing—not a lot,” she hurried to say as she saw Annika’s expression. “But when any money goes missing, an investigation has to be launched.”

“Breha never mentioned any investigation,” Bail remarked as he approached the two women, startling Fallah.

“Miss Teranno didn’t want to tell her,” Fallah explained, fidgeting with her hands. “She will, eventually, but she wants to keep this out of the public eye while she figures out what’s going on.”

Annika nodded as she said, “Was Mr. Agneta believed to be a suspect?”

“Yes,” Fallah replied, her cheeks flushing as she ducked her head. “He had access to the accounts where the money went missing from.”

Bail pulled Annika aside, remarking in a low voice, “Maybe he jumped: if he _was_ guilty of embezzling not only would he lose his career and go to jail, but it’s likely his wife would have left him.”

Annika bit her lip. “It’s a possibility, we can’t rule anything out at this point.”

She thanked Fallah for her help and left the treasury with Bail and Padmé behind her. “Padmé, were you able to get anything from Miss Teranno?”

Padmé sighed. “Not much, she was pretty tight-lipped,” Her mouth turned up in a grin. “But, I did manage to convince her to give us access to Mr. Agneta’s files.”

Bail chuckled, smirking at Padmé. “Maybe you should have been a detective Senator Amidala.” Padmé felt her cheeks turn red at the compliment.

Annika coughed, breaking the two away from their staring contest as they looked over to see her smirking. “We should start looking at those files, see if anything pops up.”

She sighed, turning to look out the window.

“Hopefully Obi-Wan’s having some luck.”

* * *

 

“Master Kenobi?”

Obi-Wan looked up from where he was reading a datapad to see a young woman bowing respectfully to him. “Mrs. Agneta will see you now.”

He nodded and put his datapad away, walking over and gave the woman his most charming smile. She blushed slightly as she lead him over to a sofa.

Taking a seat, he declined the woman’s offer of refreshments and watched her hurry off. Obi-Wan looked around, taking in the office.

It was decorated rather more expensively than Annika’s office, with various sculptures and artwork that looked like they cost a fortune.

“You must be the Jedi who asked to speak to him.”

A feminine voice remarked, making Obi-Wan stand and bow politely to the woman who entered. He briefly took notice of her red eyes but didn’t say anything due to his polite nature.

“Mrs. Agneta, I offer my condolences for your loss.”

Ala Agneta was a rather tall woman with blonde hair cut into a bob and sharp blue eyes; she nodded stiffly as she took a seat. “It has been hard, I admit, but my husband would not want me to mourn his death.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow at the statement. “How noble of him,” he remarked dryly.

Ala inclined her head in agreement. “Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, perhaps you could explain what brings you here?”

She questioned, folding her hands and fixing him with an intense stare. Obi-Wan smiled charmingly at her.

“I am simply conducting inquiries, as typical for the investigation of a suspicious death—”

“I was under the impression,” Ala cut in, narrowing her eyes at the Jedi Master, “That my husband’s death was an accident.”

“Officially, yes,” Obi-Wan replied. “However, there is a suspicion that his death may have been more heinous: tell me, were you aware that money had gone missing from your husband’s workplace?”

A hesitant expression crossed her face and she was silent for a whole minute before she replied, “No, I was not.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “Really? Surely your husband must have mentioned it, especially given that he was under suspicion.”

He watched Ala’s mouth turn into a thin line. “I’m afraid I haven’t had the chance to speak with him lately.”

“That’s rather odd,” the Jedi remarked dryly. “You do live together, correct?”

Obi-Wan watched her expression shift as her eyes quickly darted away from him.

He let out a heavy sigh. “Mrs. Agneta, I would like you to be one hundred percent honest with me.”

Ala let out an irritated sound, abruptly standing up and turning to face the window with her arms crossed over her chest. 

“My husband and I have been…living separately for quite some time now.”

“Really?” Obi-Wan asked, furrowing his eyebrow as he rested his arm on his knee and leaned forward. “Might I inquire as to why?”

“I realize that you Jedi don’t have much experience with marriage,” Ala stated in a cold tone. “But generally, when a married couple don’t see each other much, it can cause a strain.”

Obi-Wan chose to ignore the remark, instead pointing out, “Surely you were aware that would be an issue, given your jobs, and you’ve been married for ten years: why would it be an issue now?”

He watched as the woman whirled around to face him, her expression displeased. “If you really want to know Master Jedi, I discovered he was having an affair.”

“An affair?” Obi-Wan repeated, frowning. Ala rolled her eyes, saying in a sarcastic tone. “Yes, an affair, with one of his co-workers.”

“I see…you do realize how this looks?” At her blank expression, he elaborated. “Him having an affair certainly gives you motive to kill him.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Master Jedi,” she began. “I was angry at my husband, but what would killing him do except get me thrown into prison?”

“I would lose my career, my reputation all for some cheating scum? No, there is no personal gain for me.”

Obi-Wan nodded, slowly standing up. “Well, thank you for giving me some of your time.”

He turned to leave, only to be stopped by Ala calling out, “Wait Master Kenobi.”

Turning to face her he raised an eyebrow at her. “My husband cheated on me and he may have stolen money from the treasury but a part of me still loves him, will _always_ love him.”

Her façade cracked slightly and Obi-Wan could see a hint of emotion in her expression as she took a deep breath. “If his death _was_ murder…find out who did it, please?”

He smiled gently, bowing deeply to her. “I promise you, I will do everything in my power.”

With those words he exited her office, leading Ala standing in front of the window clutching the hand that still bore her wedding rings.

With a heavy sigh, she looked at her hand, a small smile forming on her lips as she asked quietly, “Oh Verun, what kind of mess did you get yourself into?”

But she got no answer, she stared at her hand for a few moments before shaking her head and going back to work.

* * *

 

“So, what are your thoughts about the wife? Is she a potential suspect?”

Annika asked the image of Obi-Wan as she walked down the halls of Alderaan’s medical examiner office, quickly moving out of the way of one of the workers.

_“She certainly seemed upset about her husband’s death despite their estrangement and was, eventually, forthcoming about the reasons for their separation_ ,”

Obi-Wan replied, running a hand through his beard. _“However, I don’t think we should rule her out just yet: Verun cheating on her is certainly motive for her, especially when combined with him possibly stealing money._ ”

“Well, we’re about to find out for certain if Verun Agneta really was murdered,” Annika stated. “Breha ordered that an autopsy be done: Detective Sivron wasn’t pleased.”

She watched her former master raise his eyebrow, remarking in an amused tone, _“And I’m sure you took great pleasure in his displeasure.”_

“I have no idea what you are talking about Master Jedi,” His former padawan replied in an innocent tone, causing him to chuckle.

_“I’m sure you don’t.”_ With that, Obi-Wan said his goodbyes and Annika turned off her com just as she approached the doors to the autopsy room.

Opening them she walked in and tried to resist smiling when she saw the annoyed expression on Detective Sivron’s face. Bail was also present, looking rather amused.

She turned around when she heard the doors open, seeing an older gentleman dressed in a lab coat enter.

“You must be Dr. Sinemet, the medical examiner performing the autopsy?” Annika asked as she held out her hand with a pleasant smile on her face.

The man returned the smile, taking her hand as he replied, “Yes and you must be Annika Skywalker: I’ve heard many good things about you.”

“I hope we are not taking up too much of your time doctor,” Bail apologized and Sinemet opened his mouth to reply when Sivron rudely cut in, “With all due respect Senator, this _is_ a waste of time, no doubt it was instigated by Senator Skywalker,”

Here he looked at the woman, who narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ve already ruled this as an accidental death, there is no reason why this autopsy should even—”

“Ahem.”

The sound of a throat clearing made the upset detective pause, turning to see Dr. Sinemet glaring at him as he remarked dryly, “I am not surprised to learn that you are the lead on this case Detective Sivron, it seems your cases have a bad habit of being re-opened.”

Sivron turned red in anger. “How dare you…” But he was ignored by the good doctor who immediately started the autopsy to the amusement of the two Senators gathered.

It was only a minute into the autopsy when Dr. Sinemet’s mouth shifted into a frown. He set aside his instruments before looking at the still angry detective.

“Detective Sivron, according to this report the man died from a severe cervical fracture that led to asphyxiation due to an inability to breathe, correct?”

“Yes.” Was the curt reply.

“I see,” Sinemet turned back to face the body as he calmly stated, “That would be rather difficult considering this man was already dead.”

_That_ got the detective’s attention, his head snapping up as he stormed over. “What?”

Annika and Bail also stepped closer as Sinemet explained, “The first thing I noticed was that his neck wasn’t broken at all.”

Annika’s eyes widened before she whirled around to glare at the detective who froze. “How can you claim he died from a broken neck when _his neck was never broken into the first place_?”

Sivron raised his hands quickly in surrender as he stammered, “I-I just thought, given that he appeared to have fallen, that was the most obvious cause!”

“And that,” Sinemet remarked in a dry voice, causing the senator and detective to turn to him. “Is why medical examiners exist: to actually _confirm_ such things.”

The Alderaan detective flushed, looking rather sheepish as he ran a hand through his hair. “So, how did he die then?”

He asked in a rather small voice, looking at Annika nervously as if he expected to be yelled at again.

“He overdosed.”

A beat of silence passed before Bail spoke up. “I’m sorry, I thought you said he overdosed?”

Sinemet nodded, gesturing for them to come closer. “See this?” He asked as he moved the head slightly to reveal a small hole in the neck. “It’s a mark from a needle, he was given a large amount of somaphrin.”

“Which would stop oxygen from getting to the brain, leading to asphyxiation.” Sivron realized, causing Sinemet to nod.

“I doubt Mr. Agneta stabbed himself with the needle,” Bail commented. Annika nodded, her expression grim.

“Which means he was murdered.”

* * *

 

Dr. Sinemet agreed to see if he could trace where the drug came from, but that would be difficult considering it was a common drug sold in many pharmacies.

Detective Sivron had become surprisingly more cordial towards Annika, asking if she had discovered anything that would be of use to the investigation which led to her telling him about Agneta’s affair and him being a suspect of embezzling.

He immediately asked to see the datapads that Padme had gotten, which led to them ending up outside of the room Padme and Annika were staying at.

Annika went to open the door only to be knocked down when it was suddenly opened and a figure quickly exited the room.

“Ow, what on earth…?”

She questioned as Bail helped her to her feet. Her eyes widened when she saw the figure was the same one that she had seen on the night of Agneta’s murder.

“That’s the same person I saw before Agneta’s body was found!”

Sivron’s eyes narrowed before he took off after the figure, nearly running into Eirtaé who came running out of the room.

“M’lady, that person came in and took the datapads, all of them!”

Annika and Bail shared wide-eyed looks before taking off in the direction Sivron had gone with Eirtaé following behind.

They came across him trying to hold the figure who was thrashing in his grip. “Could I have some help—Ow!”

The detective was cut off when the figure threw their elbow into his gut, causing him to let them go as he doubled over in pain.

The person made a dash for the door that led to the gardens only to be stopped by Eirtaé who was a lot more careful as she quickly retrieved the datapads, tossing them to Annika.

“Now, perhaps you could explain to me why you went into my room—”

The blonde Jedi stopped however as the hood fell off, revealing the person’s face. Her eyes widened as she asked in a shocked voice:

“ _Fallah?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duh duh duh! Who could have seen that coming? (Probably everyone, I like to think I'm good at plot twists, but I know it's far more likely that they're easy to spot from a mile away).
> 
> On another note, consider this an early Christmas present! I may also post the second chapter of my Hamilton fanfic tomorrow (we'll see)


	19. You Can't Escape the Jedi Senator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika gets to the end of the mystery
> 
> Or Obi-Wan really shouldn't be surprised at how much danger she gets into

“Why would Fallah steal the datapads?”

Annika wondered, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared through the two-way window of the interrogation room at the brunette woman who was currently seated in the chair.

Fallah looked even more nervous if it was possible: she was fidgeting with her hands constantly and her eyes darted from side to side.

She looked like a scared young girl, not a killer to Annika. But then again, she had been fooled before.

“Obi-Wan mentioned that Mr. Agneta’s wife suspected him of having an affair, right?” Bail came to stand beside the Jedi Senator. “Fallah _was_ his secretary and they worked quite closely together, it’s not that odd of a theory.”

Annika nodded, trying to put the pieces together when she heard the door open behind her. She turned to see Detective Sivron enter with Padmé.

“Did she tamper with the datapads?”

Padmé shook her head. “No, it seems she tried to erase some files but luckily we caught her before it was completed.

Detective Sivron glanced at Annika, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Do you want to do something with the datapads Senator Skywalker?”

The blonde Jedi blinked, surprised that he was asking but she supposed the detective was slowly learning to not go with just his own opinion.

She pursed her lips in thought. “I know someone in the Anti-Corruption Bureau, he may be able to tell us if we have something here.”

Detective Sivron nodded, handing the datapads over to Annika who quickly put them away before glancing over her shoulder.

“I assume you are about to interrogate Fallah?”

At his nod, Annika took a deep breath. “Then you won’t mind if I accompany you.”

The detective frowned, opening his mouth to refuse when he paused. After a few minutes, he sighed. “Very well, Senator, if you would follow me?”

He opened the door, causing Fallah to quickly look up and turn pale when she saw the two enter the room.

Detective Sivron chose to lean against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and his impassive gaze fixed on Fallah while Annika sat across from Fallah, not giving anything away with her expression.

“So, Miss Fallah,” Sivron began in a dry tone, “You’ve been getting into quite a bit of trouble, hm? Stealing from the Jedi Senator isn’t something to be taken lightly.”

Fallah quickly averted her gaze and Annika leaned forward, speaking in a soft voice, “Fallah, what I said to you before still stands: if you have something you want to tell me, you can.”

The woman looked up and Annika could see the tears in her eyes. Annika felt her chest ache with sympathy as she reached her hand out.

“Fallah, please, why did you steal the datapads?”

Annika asked gently and Fallah sniffled, stuttering, “I-I had to because…”

She trailed off and Annika saw her hand subconsciously go to her stomach before she realized what she was doing and quickly removed it.

Annika’s eyes went wide with realization and she leaned in to ask in a whisper, “Fallah, are you pregnant with Mr. Agneta’s child?”

Fallah’s eyes widened and she began shaking, bursting into tears which caused Annika to get up from her seat and quickly hurry over to her side.

Carefully wrapping her arms around her she hugged the woman tightly and attempted to comfort her. Annika looked over Fallah’s head at Sivron who looked stunned by the turn of events.

“Detective, is it possible we could move this conversation to a more comfortable location?”

* * *

 

“Here, this should help your stress go down,”

Saché stated as she handed the cup of tea to Fallah, who took it and thanked her in a quiet voice. The handmaiden gave her a gentle smile and a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder before making her way over to where Annika was waiting.

“So?” Annika asked quietly.

Saché took a deep breath. “She admitted to the affair with Verun Agneta, apparently it had been going on for at least three months, however, he ended it recently,”

“She learned she was pregnant shortly after.”

“So maybe she killed him because she was angry that he ended their affair,” Sivron suggested. He frowned. “But that doesn’t explain why she stole the datapads.”

Annika shook her head. “There are so many pieces that just aren’t fitting,” she commented, biting her lip.

“Milady?”

The blonde Jedi turned to see Eirtaé standing in the doorway. “You have a message from Agent Pryde, regarding some information found on the datapads.”

“Thank you Eirtaé,” Annika replied, walking briskly over to her comm and pressing a button which caused a blue hologram of Agent Pryde to appear.

“Senator,” Kiergan greeted her. “I would exchange pleasantries, but I imagine you want to get straight down to business.”

“If you don’t mind,” she agreed and Kiergan nodded, clearing his throat. “Well, I looked over the datapads and it would appear they contain altered records of Verun Agneta transferring money from the official treasury accounts to several different accounts not approved to hold that money.”

“So, he _was_ stealing money,” Sivron exclaimed but Kiergan shook his head. “Not necessarily, see the thing is: those accounts weren’t registered in _his_ name.”

“Well that makes sense,” Padmé pointed out with a frown. “He would likely have the accounts under an alias.”

“I thought that too,” Kiergan agreed. “But upon further digging, I found that the accounts were registered to several shell companies and offshore accounts that have no connection to Agneta or any possible aliases he may have.”

Bail blinked. “Then who was getting the money?”

The agent sighed. “I’m afraid that whoever owns these accounts is doing a good job of hiding their tracks; it will take me a while to find them.”

“I have no doubt you will,” Annika replied and Kiergan chuckled, saluting her before ending the call.

The blonde senator let out a heavy sigh, glancing over her shoulder at Fallah who was clutching her hands tightly.

“We handle this carefully, Detective,” Annika warned. “She’s in a delicate position at the moment and this has already been a hard day for her: everyone is innocent until proven otherwise.”

Sivron nodded, gesturing for her to go ahead of him. She walked over to Fallah who looked up quickly, a look of worry on her face as she brought her hand up to rest on her stomach.

“It’s alright Fallah,” Annika reassured her. “We just have some more questions for you.”

She waited until the woman nodded her assent before she began:

“Fallah, you were Mr. Agneta’s secretary, which meant you also had access to his datapads.”

Fallah nodded slowly. “Yes, I was in charge of keeping records on all transactions,” her expression became nervous as she asked in a small voice, “why?”

Annika took a deep breath before asking in a soft tone, “Did you help Mr. Agneta hide the fact that he was laundering the treasury’s money?”

She froze, her eyes wide before tears began to fill in her eyes. “Yes,” she whispered. “I did, and I’m sorry—I knew it was wrong but he convinced me that no one would notice and…”

Her voice choked with sobs, cutting off her words as she leaned forward and put her head in her hands. Annika placed a hand on her back and began rubbing it in a comforting gesture.

“It’s alright, it’s alright,” Annika said in a soothing tone. “Do you have the original records of the transactions?”

She watched the secretary nod. “Alright, Detective Sivron is going to take you to the treasury so you can give him the original records,”

Annika explained, looking at said detective who inclined his head before looking back at Fallah. “Is that agreeable to you?”

Fallah nodded briskly, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Y-Yes, that will be fine.”

Sivron held out his hand to her which she took after a moment of hesitation, leading her out of the room with his other hand on her back.

The senators watched the door close and heard Eirtaé call out, “Milady, Agent Pryde is on the comm again and it sounds urgent.”

Annika walked over to the comm, raising an eyebrow at the bluish image. “We just talked Agent Pryde, did you miss my charming voice already?”

Kiergan chuckled before becoming serious. “I’m afraid not Senator, I managed to track down the name of the account holder,”

“Really?” Annika frowned. “That was rather quick.”

“Yes, well, it would appear that the accounts only had the _appearance_ of being hard to track,” he grinned. “In reality it only took a few minutes.

Annika chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “So, who is the illustrious owner of the accounts?”

“Well, the accounts were owned by a shell company,” he paused before continuing. “However, I was able to trace the shell company back to a man named Jeshi Lasek.”

The blonde Jedi frowned. “I’ve never heard that name before.”

“Neither did we, so we sent agents out to find him and after a few minutes of _talking_ ,” Kiergan coughed. “He revealed that he was holding the accounts for a friend.”

“And this friend would be…?”

“ _That’s_ where it gets interesting,” Kiergan crossed his arms over his chest. “You see, he’s been having an on and off relationship with a woman, the same woman who he’s holding the accounts for.”

“That woman is the Alderann Treasurer—Alluria Teranno.”

Annika froze, her mind whirling with this new information: Alluria was working with Verun to steal money, Alluria was likely the one who had Verun killed.

Alluria knew about the files…

“We have to get to the treasury, now!”

Padmé and the handmaidens sprang into action, grabbing their weapons as Annika told Kiergan to get agents out to Alderann soon as he could.

“Contact the Alderann police force, tell them what’s going on!”

Annika called out to Bail over her shoulder, exiting her room and running towards the direction of the treasury with Padmé and the handmaidens close behind.

She stopped when she saw a familiar figure in the distance. “Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan turned, a small grin forming as Annika made her way over to him. “Hello Anna, it’s nice to see you in person instead of through a comm.”

His former padawan shook her head. “What are you doing here?”

“Mrs. Agneta wanted to see her husband’s body and get the funeral ready,” he explained. “Given that her husband was, in fact, murdered she requested protection and the Jedi were more than happy to comply.”

“And how did _you_ get the job?” Annika raised an eyebrow and Obi-Wan chuckled. “She was apparently more comfortable with me, in any case, she’s at the treasury right now collecting her husband’s files—”

“She’s at the treasury, now?”

Annika demanded, her eyes wide. Obi-Wan frowned. “Yes, she—Anna?”

The blonde Jedi took off, leaving Padmé to quickly explain everything to Obi-Wan before he joined them in heading towards the treasury.

Annika slammed the doors open and felt her breath catch when she saw Detective Sivron lying on the ground motionless.

Obi-Wan crouched down next to him and felt for his pulse. “He’s fine, just unconscious.” He stood up, pausing when he heard a noise coming from the back of the treasury.

“That’s the office of the treasurer,” Padmé whispered before pulling out her blaster, the handmaidens followed suit and Obi-Wan and Annika ignited their lightsabers.

“Wait outside,” Annika said in a low voice. “If we surround her, and she has either Mrs. Agneta or Fallah hostage, she may panic and hurt them.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, likely to protest, but sighed and said instead: “Be careful Anna.”

Annika smiled softly. “I always am Obi-Wan.”

She watched as Obi-Wan left the room with Padmé and her handmaidens, leaving only Eirtaé and Saché.

Annika took a deep breath, nodding at the two handmaidens and gesturing for them to wait outside before slowly walking towards the office.

Carefully she opened the door, her hand gripping her lightsaber as she quietly entered the room. “Ms. Teranno?”

Annika stopped when she saw Alluria holding a knife to the throat of Ala, who was remarkably calm despite the situation.

“Ah, I wondered when you would show up Jedi Senator,” Alluria remarked, tightening her grip. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Annika took a small step to the side, keeping her eyes on the woman. A quick sweep of the room allowed her to see Fallah hiding behind a door and she felt relief flood through her body that the pregnant woman was safe.

She quickly diverted her gaze back to Alluria. “Why?” she carefully stepped forward. “What led you to embezzle money from the treasury with Agneta before killing him?”

Alluria chuckled as she moved backwards, the knife almost slicing Ala’s neck who involuntarily winced at the motion. “I got bored; handling all that money, I simply decided to take what I thought was owed to me.”

“Agneta was very useful,” Alluria stepped back from Ala, though she kept the knife on her back. “He was even willing to seduce his secretary and destroy his marriage, the greed was just too strong for him.”

Her expression twisted. “But then he learned that his little mistress was pregnant and all of a sudden, he got a conscience,” she shook her head in mock disappointment.

“He was willing to turn himself and me in, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Ala finally spoke, somehow managing to glare at the treasurer despite the blade currently pressing into her back. “You just confessed to the Jedi Senator.”

“That’s true,” Alluria’s mouth twisted into an evil smirk. “But she can’t say anything if she’s dead, now can she?”

Realizing what the woman was going to do as she raised her knife Annika prepared herself for the incoming strike—

That never came when Alluria was hit in the shoulder by a blaster bolt, causing her to drop her weapon and let out a cry of pain.

Ala took advantage of the distraction to ram arm into Alluria’s spleen, making the woman fall to her knees before the widow ran over to Annika.

The two of them turned to see Fallah shakily lower the blaster she held just as agents and policemen flooded the room with Kiergan leading them.

Eirtaé and Saché weren’t far behind, immediately rushing to Annika’s side with concern in their expressions.

“Are you alright, we heard gunfire and thought the worst,” Eirtaé asked, eyebrows furrowing.

Annika nodded. “We’re all fine, thanks to Fallah—nice shot by the way,” she remarked offhandedly to the young woman who flushed at the praise.

“Alluria Teranno, you are under arrest for embezzling money from the Alderaan Royal Treasury and the murder of Verun Agneta,”

Kiergan announced as two police officers handcuffed the woman. “You have the right to remain silent and I highly recommend you do so as I’d rather not hear any of your excuses.”

That caused the other agents and officers to chuckle as Alluria was led out of the room. Kiergan, with a grin on his face, made his way over to Annika and remarked, “Well, that was the most excitement I’ve had in days.”

Annika raised an eyebrow. “Hey, don’t give me that look: I’m usually investigating people who try to act tough but usually give themselves up after a few minutes because they’re scared of prison.”

The blonde Jedi rolled her eyes, a smile pulling at her lips as she exited the office and began looking around.

She saw Obi-Wan and Padmé talking to Detective Sivron who was being checked over by a medic and made her way over.

“Detective Sivron,” she greeted warmly, nodding to the medic who took their leave. “I am pleased to see you recovering.”

Sivron chuckled bitterly. “Yeah, well, it’s my own fault for not paying attention to my surroundings; I’m glad that Mrs. Agneta and Miss Fallah are alright because I didn’t do them any good.”

Obi-Wan sighed, giving the man a reassuring smile. “Do not beat yourself up over it Detective, you are human and not even you could have seen a mad woman deciding to club you over the head with a datapad.”

“You will learn from this mistake,” Padmé added. “And you will be a better detective because of it.”

Sivron laughed, giving the man a small grin. “I guess it’s true what they say: the Jedi are truly wise.”

“We try,” Obi-Wan winked at the man who put the pack down and said something about filling out paperwork before leaving.

Obi-Wan turned to Annika, silently stepping closer to her and looking over her which made her smile. “I was not injured Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan chuckled softly. “You will be the death of me Anna.”

“But I will also give you a more exciting life,” she countered with a grin which made him smirk back at her.

The two stood there, the noise in the room nonexistent until it was broken by a cough.

“Excuse me Senator Skywalker?”

Annika turned to see Ala standing quietly, the only sign of stress from her recent ordeal in the shadows under her eyes.

“I was wondering if you could tell me what the fate of Miss Fallah will be?”

Annika blinked in confusion before replying, “While she was complicit in helping Agneta and Teranno with their crimes, she did help us in the end and given her condition will likely be forced to pay a fine, however, jail time is not completely out of the question.”

Ala nodded, taking a deep breath. “In that case, I would like to know if her jail sentence could possibly be changed to house arrest?”

“I’m afraid I don’t follow?”

Ala sighed heavily. “She had an affair with my husband and is carrying his child, by all counts I should hate her but,”

Ala’s mouth turned up in a gentle smile. “But at the same time, it takes two to tango and from what I’ve learned my husband likely seduced her to get her help so by all accounts, she’s as much as a victim as I am and she did save my life.”

“And also,” she inhaled deeply. “My husband was killed trying to do the right thing for her and she is carrying the last part of him: it may be selfishness on my part—wanting to keep a part of him close—but I still want to help her.”

Annika gave her a soft smile. “I shall see what I can do.”

Ala thanked her before making her way over to Fallah. Annika and Obi-Wan watched as the two women had a conversation, Fallah’s eyes becoming wider and wider until she burst into tears and wrapped her arms around the women.

Ala was startled by this, but eventually smiled and returned the hug.

Annika couldn’t help but grin at the scene: it wasn’t the happiest ending; a man was still dead and would never see his child grow up.

But a corrupt woman had been stopped and two women had managed to get over their differences for the sake of the child of the man they once loved.

It was, in Annika’s mind, a victory at least and she was never one to turn down even the smallest of victories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took a lot longer than I thought it would, I blame midterms and essays. On the bright side, I'm on reading week so hopefully, I can update my other stories soon.


	20. Bridges can be Mended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika decides that the Jedi are going to need more help against the Sith and decides to reach out to some long forgotten allies
> 
> or: Annika builds alliances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short chapter but hopefully, you still enjoy?

Annika paced outside the council chambers waiting for the meeting to end and, considering she couldn’t move forward _without_ the general approval of the Council, she was really hoping for a favorable outcome.

She was dressed in a simple light blue coat with gold detailing that was over a pink underdress falling to the floor, her blonde curls pulled back in a simple twist.

“Anna, relax,” Eirtaé tried to reassure the blonde Jedi who stopped and looked at her. “I’m sure the Council will grant their approval for such an assignment.”

Annika let out a soft huff, glancing at the doors as she remarked dryly, “I have just asked the Council for permission to not only reach out to our various factions, whom we have not had the best relationship with but also have a more equal partnership with the Antarian Rangers,”

“Believe me Eirtaé when I say it is a miracle that it has gotten to this point.”

Eirtaé sighed and opened her mouth to respond only to stop when the doors opened, revealing a serious looking Dooku.

“Senator Skywalker, the Council is ready for you.”

Annika quickly schooled her expression, erasing any sign of nervousness that could be seen on her face as she entered the chambers trailing behind her great grandmaster.

Dooku took his seat next to Qui-Gon as Yoda clasped his hands and leaned forward, staring at Annika intently. “An interesting idea, to us you proposed, a reason for it, I assume you have?”

“I am the Jedi Senator, part of my job is to ensure that the Jedi are properly communicating with the public,” Annika took a deliberate step forward. “I would also argue, however, that goes for _all_ Jedi, even the factions whom we split with a long time ago.”

“There is a reason they split from us,” Piell remarked dryly. “They did not follow the Jedi Code—”

“I am aware of that,” The blonde Jedi cut in. “However, given our own small numbers and the increasing threat of the Sith, I believe that it would be _unwise_ for us to ignore our fellow Force users over something so small.”

“The Sith have the advantage over us, they have been active for who knows how long and are involved in Force knows what, and we need to take the advantage back.”

“And the Antarian Rangers?” Mace questioned. “What role do they have in this?”

Annika raised an eyebrow. “For one thing, while others have distrusted or even feared us the Antarian Rangers have always been at our side, even though we have not always respected them,”

The rebuke in her tone was subtle but strong enough that several members of the Council fidgeted nervously in their seats.

“Another thing,” she continued. “Is that the Antarian Rangers have always been liked by the people, even when we have not been.”

Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. “So, what you are saying, Senator, is you want to use the Antarian Rangers to help our image?”

His grand Padawan smiled sharply. “That is what I was asked to do, isn’t it? Improve our image?”

“The fact is, Masters, the Sith are currently at the advantage and if we are to stop them, we must use _every_ resource we have at our disposal, even if it doesn’t fit with the Code.”

The Council members shared looks, silently communicating with each other before Yoda tapped his staff once.

“To carry out this mission, permission you have,” he stared at her intently. “Helps us, hopefully, this does.”

Annika bowed politely, desperately trying and failing to hide the relief on her face. “Thank you, Masters.”

She turned and walked out to where Eirtaé had been waiting. “We need to go back to my office,” she explained as she began walking out of the Jedi Temple.

“There are people I need to get into contact with.”

* * *

 

_I must admit, Jedi Senator, I am surprised to hear from you,”_

Annika smiled warmly at the blue image of a man. “Master Halcyon, I was not aware I was so popular in Corellia.”

Nejaa Halcyon chuckled, causing his image to flicker slightly as he grinned at her.

“You have pretty much gotten rid of the corruption in the Senate, have started to eliminate slavery from even the deepest of the Outer Rim and have made the Council listen to what we have been saying all along: that makes quite the impression.”

Annika felt her cheeks flush at the compliment. “You give me far too much credit,” she cleared her throat. “In any case, I have a proposition from the Jedi Council.”

_“Oh?”_ Nejaa raised an eyebrow. _“I’m listening.”_

“I’m sure by now you have heard about the Sith,” at his nod Annika continued. “Surely you are aware that, if the Sith were to take over the galaxy, the Jedi would not be the only Force users in danger.”

_“Yes,”_ the Green Jedi agreed with a serious expression. _“Any Force user who doesn’t conform to the Sith’s ideals will likely be destroyed, without hesitation.”_

 Annika leaned forward on her desk. “Which is why we must not let it happen, why we need to work together.”

_“What exactly are you—and the Jedi Council—suggesting?”_

Nejaa inquired, crossing his arms over his chest. “Simply open the channels that have been closed—communicate more openly with each other and have regular meetings sharing information that we gather.”

She watched the master nod his head slowly. _“That sounds logical,”_ he narrowed his eyes. _“I’m assuming we’re not the only ones you wish to have this, shall we say, agreement with.”_

Annika chuckled, her eyes twinkling. “You are correct, I do wish to reach out to the other Jedi factions.”

She raised an eyebrow, mouth pulling up into a smile. “I don’t suppose you know how to contact them, do you?”

Nejaa grinned. _“I may have a few contacts I can reach out to_.”

“Thank you, Master Halcyon,” Annika said in a soft voice. “I am looking forward to working with you more in the future.”

_“As am I, Senator Skywalker, as am I.”_

Annika said her goodbyes with a laugh and ended the call, leaning back in her chair with a huff. “That didn’t go as horrible as I thought it would.”

Maverick Riggers, a Ranger General with the Antarian Rangers, chuckled at the senator’s statement as he leaned back in his seat. “You made a pretty compelling point, the Sith _are_ a threat to every Force user and Force adept in the galaxy,”

“I’m sure they are aware of that and want it to happen even less than the Council does.”

Annika gave him a gentle smile before scrunching her nose up and adopting a thoughtful expression. “I hate to ask this of your people, especially when our partnership is so recently renewed, but…”

“You want us to also reach out to the other factions as well?” Maverick asked dryly, his mouth twitching when he saw her sheepish expression. “It is no problem Senator Skywalker, we have done work with the other factions before and we’ll put in a good word.”

“Thank you, General Riggers,” she stood up and he followed suit, offering his hand which she took. “And please, call me Annika.”

Maverick chuckled as he shook her hand. “Very well, Annika; you know how to get into contact with us.”

He turned to leave and nearly bumped into Eirtaé who was entering Annika’s office with Obi-Wan behind her. “Ah, forgive me, miss.”

The blonde handmaiden shook her head, smiling brightly. “It is alright General.”

Maverick inclined his head to her. “Miss,” he nodded at Obi-Wan who returned the gesture. “Master Kenobi.”

With that he left the room, Eirtaé watching him go before turning to Annika. “Forgive me my lady, but Master Kenobi requested to speak to you and I figured the meeting would be ending soon,”

Annika held up a hand. “It is fine, as you can see you were correct in that assumption Eirtaé.”

Eirtaé inclined her head before exiting the office. Obi-Wan took the seat that Maverick had vacated, crossing one leg over the other.

“So, I can presume Master Halcyon was receptive to your idea?”

Annika nodded, casually glancing down at her datapad. “Yes, he even agreed to reach out to the other factions and so did General Riggers.”

She looked up at him. “However, we also need to show that these partnerships mean a lot to us so…” she trailed off and gave him a meaningful look.

“You would like the Council to send our own people to reach out to them?” At Annika’s nod, Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. “Yes, I suppose it would be a good idea to put our best foot forward.”

The two of them stood up at the same time, Obi-wan casually placing a hand on her back as they walked out. “I’ll bring it up to the Council at our next meeting,”

Annika suggested and Obi-Wan nodded, stopping in the middle of the hallway and turning to face a confused Annika. “I hope you understand what you have done Anna: it’s been a long time since the Jedi have reached out to our other factions and the Antarian Rangers.”

The blonde Jedi felt her cheeks heat up as she chuckled softly, turning to walk away. She looked over her shoulder at her former master and winked.

“I’m simply rebuilding the bridges that should have never been burned down, Obi-Wan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is an idea that I've had since I started this story, the Jedi making allies who will, eventually, help them against the Sith and who better than the factions who split from them and the Antarian Rangers who loyally followed them.
> 
> Some background info: the Antarian Rangers and Jedi factions technically aren't canon anymore, they are part of the Legends continuity but I found them so interesting that I couldn't help but include them.
> 
> The Green Jedi (also known as the Corellian Jedi) primarily serve the Corellian sector which was what the main discourse between them and the Council was, though the fact they also didn't obey the rule on attachments (Nejaa Halycon is actually part of a line known for producing powerful Jedi) didn't really help matters. As the name implies they tend to wear green.
> 
> Another faction is the Paladins, of which there are two main sects: Teepo and Gray. The Teepo Paladins were the first and their main schism with the Council was that they used weapons other than lightsabers. The Gray Paladins split off from the Teepo Paladins because they chose to only minimally rely on the force.
> 
> The next faction is the Iron Knights, which are rather interesting as they are essentially droids who contain Force-sensitive Shards. They were taught by Jedi Master Aquinos who was excommunicated by the Jedi Council because they were horrified he had taught inorganic crystals to use the Force. They take on the name of lightsaber crystals.
> 
> The final faction is the Altisian Jedi, like the Green Jedi they don't obey the no attachments rule and they also allow a master to take on multiple apprentices; they move around the galaxy as relief workers to undeveloped and backwater planets. Another interesting thing is that the Altisians are not just made up of Force-sensitives, they have many non-Force sensitives within the community.
> 
> The Antarian Rangers are the other main idea introduced here, a paramilitary organization dedicated to helping the Jedi; they gather information as scouts, carry out covert operations and generally are considered to do the "dirty work". In the past a Jedi would have a specific group of Antarian Rangers they worked with and, when the no attachments rule was lax, some Jedi would actually marry Antarian Rangers.
> 
> Essentially the main idea with introducing these factions is primarily to give the Jedi allies and help in defeating the Sith while also showing the public that not all Jedi are detached and they shouldn't be feared.
> 
> In any case, I have a new arc planned so stay tuned for that. It involves Annika and Obi-Wan going to a planet recovering from a plague so that will be fun. *grins*


	21. Not Even the Force can Keep The Doctor Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annika, Obi-Wan, Yane and Lya travel to the planet of Valla where a possible outbreak of a plague that nearly killed the population fifty years earlier have occurred.
> 
> It doesn't take long for Annika to get herself into trouble.

“So, when did the illness start?”

Obi-Wan questioned, briefly scanning the datapad he held in his hands before looking up at Lya who had been chosen by the Council for this particular mission.

Annika sat next to him, her curls partially pinned up while the rest fell over her left shoulder while she also looked over the datapad she held her in her hand.

She was dressed in a strapless black dress with a brown belt wrapped around her waist and a brown bolero jacket overtop. The skirt of the dress had a sheer overlay with marble patterns around the edge of the skirt and her lightsaber was clipped to the belt.

“The first to fall victim was a young girl around seven galactic standard years,” Lya read off the datapad. “Her younger brother fell victim two days later, followed by her mother.”

“The next to fall victim were two friends of the brother who had come to visit him, it spread to _their_ family and by the end of the week the entire village had fallen to the disease.”

“And now the village neighbouring it has also fallen ill,” Annika remarked. The Jedi healer nodded. “At the moment the two villages are quarantined, but there is a genuine fear that the Reuni Plague has returned.”

Obi-Wan let out a heavy sigh, stroking his beard. “If that is the case, the consequences would be devastating.”

Annika nodded; the last time the Reuni Plague struck the planet of Valla nearly fifty years ago it nearly killed the majority of the population and the planet still hadn’t recovered.

For another plague to happen, especially on the same scale, it seemed almost certain Valla would fall. Thus, why Annika had been contacted for help.

“So, what is the plan?” Yané questioned.

Given that the young woman was studying to be a doctor, she had been asked to accompany her mistress along with Saché. Eirtaé remained behind to act as Annika’s double as the Chancellor didn’t want to cause a galaxy-wide panic.

“Our first priority is to determine if the disease is, in fact, the Reuni Plague,” Lya began. “If it isn’t, then we determine what the disease is and hope it is easily cured.”

“And if it is the Reuni Plague?”

There was a beat of silence before Obi-Wan responded in a grave tone. “Then we will have to prepare for the worst outcome.”

The ship landed at a docking bay in the capital city of Araisei, where the group was greeted by the Prelate of Valla Elgar Tane and his assistant Val Madels.

“Senator Skywalker, Master Kenobi,” Tane remarked, looking tired as he shook their hands. “It is good to see you, though I wish the circumstances were better.”

Lya got right down to business. “Have any people succumbed to the illness?”

“No, though I fear it is inevitable,” Madels stated with a sigh, his expression sad. “The first victim seems to be getting worse.”

“Well then, we should get started,” Annika began. “And hopefully we can get to the bottom of this.”

The two men nodded and led the group over to where a landspeeder was waiting to take them out to the villages, which didn’t take them very long.

When the group entered the first village, it was as if they had entered a ghost town: the streets were vacant, not a single soul in sight.

“It’s quiet,” Annika mused to Obi-Wan who nodded, glancing around. “That’s not surprising though,” he remarked upon seeing a woman quickly pull her son away from the door he was peeking out of.

“No, not with the plague having possibly returned.” Annika agreed as the landspeeder pulled to a stop in front of what appeared to be the clinic.

“In here,” Tane said as he ushered the group inside. “Most of those infected were quarantined in their own home, but the first were moved due to the severity of the illness.”

Annika felt a pang in her heart when she laid eyes on the people infected with this horrible disease: some were sweating while others shivered, a little girl vomited into a basin that a nurse was holding for her and many of them looked like they were already dead.

Without hesitating she made her way over to the little girl, pasting on a smile as the girl weakly lifted her head.

“Hey sweetheart, what’s your name?” The blonde Jedi asked in a soft tone.

“Callita,” was the weak reply she gave before going into a coughing fit.

“It hurts,” Callita said softly and Annika felt her heart break at her tone, feeling the little girl’s pain through the Force.

“Here,” Annika held out her hand, which the little girl took after a moment of hesitation. “Just relax, okay?”

She said in a soothing voice before closing her eyes, reaching out with the Force to alleviate Callita’s pain.

A brief glow covered the girl as her breathing slowly steadied, no longer erratic and broken. A bit of color returned to her cheeks and she looked up at Annika in awe.

“It stopped hurting,” she stated, her eyes wide. “You cured me?”

Annika chuckled softly, shaking her head. “No, I didn’t,” she smiled gently. “I just eased your pain.”

“Oh,” the little girl sounded disappointed. “Will you be able to cure me? And my mother?”

Annika was caught off guard when Callita turned her wide-eyed gaze on her and, really, what else was she going to say? “I’ll do my very best.”

She felt the little girl squeeze her hand until the nurse attending to her cleared her throat and informed her in a soft voice that Callita had to rest now.

Annika nodded and reluctantly let go of her hand before returning to where the group had been watching her, Obi-Wan giving her an unreadable look.

“Is that the first victim?”

Annika directed the question to Tane, who sighed heavily. “Yes, Callita Muechi; she was moved here a few weeks ago.”

The Jedi Senator glanced over her shoulder at the girl, smiling when she saw the girl give her an enthusiastic wave. She took a deep breath, turning to Lya with a fierce glint in her eyes.

“How should we proceed Healer Niachei?”

Lya gestured to where she had set up her medical equipment. “The first thing we need to do is take samples of all the infected’s blood, so we can determine the exact disease.”

“I can help with that,” Yané offered, glancing at Lya who nodded her agreement.

“In the meantime, perhaps we can take a look at the houses of the infected,” Obi-Wan suggested as he looked at Annika. “There may be an environmental factor to this disease.”

Tane blinked for a moment before he slowly nodded his head. “Yes, that sounds like a good idea Master Kenobi.”

“Then let us go.”

* * *

 

“Might I inquire as to what you’re looking for?”

Madels, who had been chosen to accompany the Jedi duo, asked as he watched them inspect the Muechi home.

“Any possible factors that point to there being an environmental cause for the sickness such as mould or chemicals,” Annika explained as she walked around a desk. “We need to consider all the possible factors.”

Madels nodded, glancing over at the Jedi Senator with a curious expression. “It was amazing—how you took away the little girl’s pain, I mean.”

“I’ve never really interacted with Jedi that much, is that something all of them can do?”

Annika smiled. “Generally speaking yes, all Jedi are taught it though of course healers have a more specialized ability.”

She frowned. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t cure Callita though, nor could I do the same to the others.”

“Though perhaps you might be able to, if we figure out exactly what is inflicting them,” Annika turned to see Obi-Wan smirking at her. “After all, you always seem to defy what is expected of a Jedi.”

Annika flushed, giving him a look before returning her attention back to the desk she had been examining. Obi-Wan chuckled as he turned to walk into the kitchen.

He paused as he entered, however, upon seeing a basket with bread on the table. “That’s…unusual…”

 “That’s the bread I gave them,” Madels remarked sadly. “Someone from our church made a lot of food for them when Callita got sick and I brought it over.”

“You regularly attend then, Mr. Madels?” Annika inquired as she glanced over her shoulder at him.

He nodded, stepping closer to her. “Yes, after all, faith is what will save us from this disease.”

Obi-Wan and Annika shared a look before Obi-Wan cleared his throat. “There doesn’t seem to be anything in the house to suggest an environmental cause…”

He trailed off as his comm began ringing, pulling it out and answering with a “hello?”

_“Master Kenobi, you need to get back to the clinic,”_ Lya spoke, sounding worried. _“We’ve determined what the disease is and…it’s not good.”_

“I believe we shouldn’t keep her waiting,” Obi-Wan noted with a frown, but Annika was already heading for the door.

“Already ahead of you Obi-Wan.”

* * *

 

“Is it the Reuni Plague?”

Annika asked, entering the clinic with a concerned expression and making her way over to where Lya and Yané were gathered around Lya’s kit.

“Yes and no,” Lya replied as she turned to face the two Jedi and secretary. Seeing their expressions, she elaborated. “It _is_ the Reuni Plague, but not the one that occurred before.”

“How is that possible?”

Madels demanded. “How can it not be the Reuni Plague from before?”

“See this?” Lya showed them the screen of her analyzer, pointing at two blobs. “Those were not present at all in the blood of the victims infected by the Reuni Plague.”

“The best I can tell? The plague has mutated, become stronger.”

A tense silence overcame the group before Obi-Wan broke it. “So, something happened to mutate the cells?”

Yané shook her head, her expression serious. “This mutation could not have occurred naturally; those two cells would not normally be able to co-exist without the assistance of something.”

“So, what you’re saying,” Annika began, absently rubbing at her arm. “Is that someone _purposely_ mutated the plague and then released it?”

“Essentially yes,” Lya replied grimly. “We haven’t determined how the plague was transferred, but we were able to determine how the symptoms of the mutated plague differ from the original.”

Yané began reading off her datapad. “Itchiness, headaches, high fever and vomiting are the symptoms that are the same as the original.”

“However, this mutated disease makes the infected unable to hear for brief periods of time,”

Annika narrowed her eyes, the ringing in her ears making it impossible for to hear what Yané said. “The infected might also suffer from blurry vision.”

_Is that blur Obi-Wan?_

The blonde Jedi wondered as she tried to look over at her master, her head pounding. “And finally, the infected will often cough up blood—”

Yané stopped as Annika let out a loud cough, her eyes widening when she slowly pulled her hand back to reveal a dark substance on her hands.

“Senator Skywalker are you alright?”

Tane questioned slowly, his eyes wide in horror as he stared at her while Obi-Wan began taking quick steps closer to his former padawan.

Annika’s feet seemed to sway under her heart as her eyes began fluttering and she asked in a quiet, slightly panicked tone, “Obi-Wan…?

_“Anna!”_

Obi-Wan cried out as he watched Annika begin falling, using a burst of Force speed to catch her before she hit the floor.

Quickly he reached up to touch her forehead and hissed when he felt it burning. He turned to look at a horrified Lya.

“Help me get her to a bed, now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Anna has been infected by a mutated version of the Reuni Plague, oh no! 
> 
> A quick note: science is one of my worst subjects (up there with math) so please point out any inaccuracies you may find. (Then again, this story does have the Force so *shrugs*). 
> 
> Tune in next time to find out who made the mutated Reuni Plague and unleashed it onto the population and also some cute Obikin moments despite the situation!
> 
> Also, I'm trying to describe Annika's clothing a bit more (because I've actually accumulated over 800+ images of clothing for her (and her handmaidens), mostly from attackoftheclothes and I want to use them. I'm trying to write the description as brief as I can while also conveying the image as closely as I can so yeah.


	22. To Grandmother's House We Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jedi go deeper down the rabbit hole in a desperate attempt to find whoever manufactured the plague to save Annika and the other victims and end up finding up more bodies.
> 
> Obi-Wan fears it may only be the start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sigh* Annika has the worst luck, doesn't she? 
> 
> Also, Obi-Wan is a bit of a worry wart, for good reasons mind you.

Obi-Wan had his arms crossed over his chest as he watched Yané attach a breathing apparatus to Annika, who was now dressed in a white robe.

He turned his head when he felt Lya’s approach. “I gather the blood tests came back positive.”

Lya nodded, her expression solemn. “Yes, I’m afraid Anna has contracted the Reuni Plague.”

Obi-Wan covered his mouth with his hand, shaking his head. “Master Kenobi, was there anything in the house that seemed out of order: mold, an odd smell, anything?”

“No,” he replied. “Everything seemed normal.”

The two Jedi stopped their conversation when they heard Annika letting out little gasps, turning to see the blonde senator struggling to open her eyes and trying to remove the object on her mouth.

“Annie, no,” Obi-Wan hurried over, letting her childhood nickname slip out as he stopped her hand. “You need to keep that on so you can get oxygen back.”

“What…” Her eyes fluttered as her breathing became heavy. “What happened…?”

“You’ve become infected,” Obi-Wan decided that Annika wouldn’t appreciate him dancing over the topic and just cut to the chase. “You collapsed, scaring everyone in the process.”

He tried to inject a bit of humor into the last statement but he didn’t think she bought it, given the look she was giving him. “Then I suppose we can assume the source came from in the house?”

“That is currently what we are thinking, yes,” Obi-Wan replied as he squeezed her hand gently. “But there wasn’t anything in the house that stood out to me.”

Annika frowned, shutting her eyes in thought. “What about the bread?” She questioned.

“The bread?” Obi-Wan repeated. “Yes, the bread: I remember Mom once telling me that the yeast can sometimes become contaminated.”

“Perhaps that’s what the perpetrator used to infect people.”

Lya looked thoughtful. “It’s certainly a possibility, I’ll go with Yané and see if any of the others who were infected got the same bread.”

She left, leaving Obi-Wan to watch as his former padawan’s eyes fluttered shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

He took the seat next to her bed, knowing that there was no way he was going to leave her side until they knew who was doing this.

* * *

 

“Anna was right: we found traces of the disease _in_ the bread.”

Lya explained, a grim expression on her face. “Whoever did this used a syringe to inject the flour, which was then used to make the bread and, well, you can guess the rest.”

Yané frowned. “But Anna didn’t eat any of the bread, so how did she contract the disease?” Lya sighed. “I don’t know, maybe the disease became airborne due to the yeast becoming corrupted…no, that wouldn’t work because then Obi-Wan would have also become infected.”

Lya muttered, shaking her head. “Honestly, I’m not sure, I’ll have to do a few more tests.”

Obi-Wan nodded, absently stroking his beard. “From what Val Madels told us, someone from his church made the bread.” He turned to Tane. “I don’t suppose you might know who this person is?”

Tane nodded, his expression becoming soft. “Yes, Millenia Codi, she runs the local bakery.” He paused, turning to the Jedi knight. “Master Kenobi, forgive me for trying to take over your investigation, but I don’t think Millie would have done this.”

“She’s nearly eighty, and she was also alive during the first outbreak of the plague, she lost almost her entire family to it…I just can’t see her bringing it back.”

“It’s possible it wasn’t her,” Annika spoke up in a soothing tone, her voice slightly scratchy. “It may be someone who works for her, who also has access to the flour.”

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agreed, giving his former padawan a soft smile she returned. “That is something we need to consider and something we need to determine as soon as we can.”

Tane nodded. “I can take you there, it’s just a short walk away.” Lya tilted her head in acknowledgement before moving to gather her kit.

Obi-Wan glanced over his shoulder at Annika, who felt his gaze and looked up to see him looking as if he was hesitating about something. She smiled gently at her former master.

“You look as if you have something to say,” she noted and Obi-Wan chuckled as he walked over to her. “It is nothing, it is just…I am unsure if I should go and leave you alone.”

Annika laughed softly. “I am fine Obi-Wan, at least for the moment,” she added when she saw his look. “Lya and Prelate Tane will need a trained eye and your pleasant demeanor will no doubt charm the woman.”

“Very well,” Obi-Wan replied, his eyes twinkling. “Try to get some rest, you’re going to need it.”

Annika nodded, her breath evening out as her eyes fluttered shut. Obi-Wan watched her for a few minutes before he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead.

Feeling his cheeks flush he turned and walked over to where a smirking Lya was waiting, she raised an eyebrow at him. “You ready to go?”

“Yes, let’s go and see what Miss Codi has to say.”

* * *

 

“Am I the only one who has a bad feeling?”

Lya muttered as she stared up at the bakery, the windows were dark and it almost looked abandoned. All in all, it caused Obi-Wan’s skin to crawl.

“I mean, it makes sense the bakery would be closed,” Tane remarked, though his stricken expression showed his concern. “Given the outbreak.”

“Still…” Lya and Obi-Wan shared a look before both withdrew their lightsabers. “We should be cautious.” Tane opened his mouth to protest but closed it with a sigh and moved to stand behind the two Jedi.

Obi-Wan knocked on the door, calling out to Millenia and, after getting no answer, pushed it open and nearly fell over because of the intense smell.

“Oh god,” Tane remarked, bringing up his hand to cover his nose as the two Jedi did the same. “What is that smell?”

“I’m not sure,” Obi-Wan’s reply was muffled through the fabric of his cloak, which he was using to cover his nose. “But it can’t be anything good.”

He and Lya began conducting a search of the bakery to try and locate Millenia. Obi-Wan rounded a corner and froze before calling out to Lya: “I think I just found Miss Cordi.”

Lya quickly made her way over to him with Tane close behind, her expression twisting into a grimace when she saw what he had found it.

It was an elderly woman lying on the ground, her eyes shut as if she were sleeping. A half-eaten piece of bread lay next to her, already moulding.

“Millie…” Tane whispered as Lya immediately moved into action.

“Prelate Tane, I must ask that you and Master Kenobi stand back,” she stated as she began pulling on her gloves and mask. “Given the situation, we must exercise caution.”

Tane nodded, taking a step back as Lya made her way over to the woman with a grimace, crouching down beside her and feeling for a pulse even though she knew it was very likely she was already dead.

“I estimate she’s been dead for at least three weeks,” Lya theorised, causing Obi-Wan to frown.  “That means she died well before the first person fell ill.”

“Yes, my best guess,” she took a deep breath, collecting herself before continuing. “My best guess is that she was used as a test subject for the plague.”

“A test…a test subject?” Tane sputtered, looking outraged. “Why would anyone—she was the sweetest person, never had a bad thing to say about anyone, how could someone…”

He trailed off at the end, unable to keep speaking as he blinked back tears. Obi-Wan and Lya had sympathetic expressions on their face, Obi-Wan reaching out to pat him consolingly on the back.

The three stood in silence for a moment, honoring the woman briefly before Lya cleared her throat. “I think it’s safe to assume the plague came from here, we should probably conduct a search of the premises, maybe there’s a hidden lab here.”

Obi-Wan nodded, turning to look at Tane. “We should also get a record of all employees, see if any of them would be capable to manufacture the plague.”

Tane nodded, leaving to go get the records. Obi-Wan sighed, turning back to Lya who had taken some samples from the flour in the bakery and was testing it in her kit. “What’s the verdict?”

Lya huffed when the kit beeped, the liquid turning a soft blue. “It’s a match: the flour has the plague in it.”

Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration showing on his face. “So, someone, who Miss Cordi knew and trusted, manufactured the plague and used her to test it and her flour to distribute it…who is this person?”

Lya sighed as she stood up, closing her kit and turning to face Obi-Wan with a regretful expression. “I’m afraid that’s one answer I won’t be able to give you.”

* * *

 

_“I’ve gotten into contact with Agent Sisk and he’s already asked agents to look into anyone on or near Valla who have the resources and skills to manufacture this type of plague,”_

Mace explained, his hologram shimmering as he shifted his position. _“Hopefully he’ll have some suspects for Obi-Wan to look into.”_

Annika raised an eyebrow, settling back into her pillows as she coughed. “Given that this is technically a Jedi mission, I’m surprised by the Jedi Council’s willingness to get outside help.”

_“Well, a certain_ someone _pointed out we should be more cordial in our relationships with law enforcement,”_ Mace pointed out dryly before he cleared his throat, his tone becoming softer as he continued. _“And we’re willing to do so because our own senator has fallen victim and we want the person who caused it to pay.”_

Annika flushed, her mouth turning up in a soft smile. “I didn’t know you cared, Master Windu,” she remarked in a teasing tone.

Mace’s cheeks seemed to darken in the hologram as he pointedly turned away. _“Yes, well, I should probably go and let you get some rest.”_

_“Get better Skywalker, we still need you.”_

Annika chuckled as the hologram turned off, letting out a soft sigh before turning her head to see Yané ending her own call to Eirtaé and walk over to her. “Is Eirtaé freaking out?”

“A little,” Yané admitted. “She wasn’t pleased to learn you had gotten infected as well, however she promised to try and keep Padmé from finding out because that’s not an issue we need right now.”

Annika nodded, she loved Padmé to death but knew if she found out that Annika had gotten sick, she’d rush over to her and that would risk the entire galaxy finding out, which they wanted to avoid.

“Senator Skywalker,” Madels said in a warm tone as he walked over. “How are you feeling?”

“As well as I can be, under the circumstances,” Annika replied, shooting him a soft smile. “How are the others?”

Madels sighed, looking over his shoulder sadly at the other patients. “They’re hanging on, but I fear many are getting worse.”

Annika opened her mouth to reply only to be stopped when Obi-Wan and Lya entered with Tane, all three possessing solemn expressions. “What’s wrong, did Miss Cordi not give you any useful information?”

Tane stepped forward reluctantly, reaching out to put an awkward hand on Madels’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Val, but Millie…Millie is dead.”

“What? No, that’s impossible,” Madels replied, shaking his head back and forth. “She…I…”

He broke off, pushing Tane’s hand off his shoulder and storming off. Tane sighed, turning to look at the Jedi. “Millenia was an old friend of Val’s grandmother, she took him in when his grandmother was deemed unfit to take care of him.”

“Why was she deemed unfit?” Annika questioned, causing Tane to bite his lip. “I never really knew, all I know was one day Val was taken out of his grandmother’s care and placed with Millenia.”

Annika hummed but didn’t seem to find anything interesting in that particular piece of information as she turned to Obi-Wan. “So, the flour was injected with the plague?”

“Yes, we’ve already sent out people to collect anything flour-based,” Obi-Wan replied. “They’re going to bring it back here so Lya can test it.”

“If I’m lucky, I can use the samples to reverse engineer a cure,” Lya replied as she began setting up her kit. Annika opened her mouth to reply when her datapad began going off.

She picked it up and quickly read it over. “It seems like Jazen was able to find a shipment of laboratory equipment that was sent to Valla in the last few weeks.”

“Where was it sent?”

Tane inquired, walking over and glancing at the datapad. He frowned as he read out the address, “1100 Veleri Lane…that sounds familiar…”

“It’s my grandmother’s house,” A rough voice remarked, causing the group to turn around and see Madels slowly make his way over. “I’d never forget it.”

Obi-Wan and Annika shared a look before Obi-wan cleared his throat, straightening himself and turning to look at Madels meaningfully.

“Then it looks like we’ll be paying a visit to your childhood home, Madels.”

If the expression on the man was any indication, they might not like what they find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the group is heading out to Val's grandmother's house, I wonder what secrets they might uncover?
> 
> On another note, this is going to be my last update for a while because I'm going on vacation (for four days, but still!). I have been debating on whether or not to bring my laptop with me, but honestly, I kind of want to take a break from writing and just relax. 
> 
> I'll be leaving July 30th, in case anyone wanted to know. Hopefully, you enjoyed this update!


End file.
